If You Give a King a Cookie
by Madamoiselle La Lune
Summary: What happens when you cross A Goblin King, A Labyrinth Champion, an Oubliette, and Home made cookies? Mood swings and Sexual tension of course. What else would happen? Humor/Romance JxS
1. The Oubliette Incident

Yay! Silly friendship/romance story!

I've been writing emotionally heavy stuff. I wanted to do something silly where our favorite king and heroine aren't burnt out. :P

This will be short- maybe 2 or 3 chapters at the most.

New chapter of Toby hates Broccoli is coming soon, as well as a new chapter of 6 ft underground, both of which are close to their finales.

* * *

"Hello!" Sarah shouted, her voice echoing in the dank room. All she had wanted to do was bring some cookies to her friends. Really, was it too much to ask to get a break for once?

"Hoggle?" She called, hoping her friend would somehow sense her distress and find her. "Anybody?"

"Crap." She mumbled, slumping against the cool wall. "Stupid oubliette. Stupid hole." Sarah grumbled, She must've taken a wrong turn… that had to be it. She had been here so many times, and this was the first, well, technically second time, that she had ended up in an oubliette. She mentally patted herself on the back, wondering how she was going to get herself out of this mess. Maybe some goblin would smell the cookies and come to her rescue. That seemed likely… sort of. The unrelenting darkness swirled around her, a small ray of light peaking through the hole she initially fell through. Sighing, she dropped her bundle and began to feel along the walls, looking for something that might get her out of this mess. If she remembered correctly, Hoggle had used a magical door of sorts to get them out. It had been lying on the floor, but she hadn't stepped on anything other than the hard dirt floor yet. The oubliette she was currently residing in was rather small, much smaller than the one she fell into during her initial venture through the labyrinth. Sarah stumbled over the tin of cookies she had placed on the ground, effectively removing her from her semi-reverie.

"Ow," She winced, wiping off her scraped hands. "Hellooooo!" She screamed this time, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Hello," A voice cut through the blackness; a voice that was definitely male, and definitely angry. The voice was crisp and smooth, and held a melodic angry mocking tone to it that could only belong to one person, and it made her stomach turn.

"You're not Hoggle," She said rather meekly, her voice rising nervously.

"No, I'm not," He drawled. She could hear his footsteps echoing off the walls yet there was no clear direction as to where they were coming from. She looked around nervously, her eyes shifting side to side as her heart began to race.

"Y-you have n-no--," She began nervously, practically jumping out of her skin when he interrupted her with a barking command.

"Oh do shut up!" He spat. "Words mean nothing when they aren't true. I see the way you tremble. I terrify you." His words took a sinister turn, dripping with venom of his anger. "Perhaps if you hadn't been sneaking around my labyrinth so foolishly, you wouldn't be so terrified of encountering me once more."

"I'm not scared," She said rather unconvincingly, backing up against the stone wall, trying desperately to still her erratic heart beat.

"Oh really?" Was his coy reply. Silence fell between them for a moment, before the burnt out candle lights on the walls flickered to life all at once, shedding a dim orange glow upon them. There, standing mere inches from her face, leaning over her with his hands pressed up against the wall was the one and only Goblin King. She jumped, goose bumps running up and down her skin as he stared her down like a cat stalking a mouse.

He smirked, glancing her up and down momentarily.

"Boo." He said boringly, his expression matching his voice. Sarah screamed, her arms flying up to cover her face as she shrunk to the ground instinctively. It wasn't until she heard laughter that she realized she was still alive. Turning her head up, she looked at him rather dumbfounded. Out of all the times she entertained the idea of ever seeing him again, not one of the scenarios turned out like this. In fact, her imagination painted a picture more along the lines of the romance novels she had taken a liking too—not that she was harboring a crush for an ethereal king for the past 7 years who ought to be make believe. No, that wasn't it at all.

Sarah looked up cautiously, his hearty laughter echoing off the walls of the small, enclosed room. He stood above her, a few feet away now, with his hands on his hips and his head thrown back in laughter. She chewed on her bottom lip, standing up from her spot on the ground.

"Oh that's rich," He said, his laughter subsiding, staring her down and challenging her with his gaze. She bit her tongue, almost literally, and stood her ground, staring back with matching intensity. She schooled her face, and let her eyes take in his. He hadn't changed a bit from how she remembered him; Hauntingly beautiful, with pale skin and a sharp angular face, long nose, thin curved lips, and eyes of fire and ice that could drown you with their sorrow. He watched with mild amusement as she purposefully stared at him, watching as the look in her eyes lost purpose, turning to some other task. "Tell me Sarah, what do you think of my Labyrinth this time around?" He sneered, breaking her concentration. She continued to hold her ground, replying with cool indifference.

"Well, the inside of this oubliette is nice. Rather cozy." She paused, looking around for dramatic effect. "Though I would love to see more of the Labyrinth, now that I'm not on a ridiculous time limit." It wasn't until she saw his nostrils flare angrily that she realized her mistake. He wasn't willing to play around with verbal banter this time.

"You might as well get used to it princess," He practically spat, malice and sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Lucky for you, you get to stay here and rot." Sarah stared at him slack jawed.

"But that's not fair!" She almost cursed herself, knowing very well that he despised that phrase.

"But isn't it?" he replied in a singsong manner, giving her a mock pout. "I do recall a certain teenaged girl destroying my city, my army, and quite a bit of my castle."

"And I recall a certain teenaged girl defeating a certain glittery sore loser," She shot back almost petulantly, her temper starting to win out in her inner battle against reason and instinct. A sneer plastered it's self to the King's face, turning his normally beautiful face ugly as his anger began to break free.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you, Precious," He bit out his words through clenched teeth. "You don't know who you are dealing with."

"Oh please!" Sarah scoffed, rolling her eyes childishly.

"Careful!" He warned, a fake friendliness infiltrating his words. "You're only digging yourself a deeper Oubliette," He smiled at his little joke, flashing her his inhumanly sharp canines. "Oh, and Sarah," He began to fade from view, his voice detaching and echoing off the walls. "It was wonderful to see you again precious."

Sarah stood there, glaring with all the anger she possessed at the spot he previously stood, her fists clenched at her side. She scowled and let out a growl that clearly displayed her frustration with ease.

"Jareth! Get your cheating sparkly makeup wearing ass back here right now!" She shouted as loud as she could, her own voice echoing loudly off the walls. Barely even a second after she finished her command, she felt an arm pull her roughly around the waist, while another fisted her hair roughly. She gasped as she hit the hard planes of his body, electricity surging through her in an odd fashion, a feeling that she couldn't quite place.

"You're really getting on my last nerve Sarah." Jareth said gently, resting his chin on the top of her head while she struggled against him. It was odd, considering the violent nature in which he seized her. "You are still quite spoiled aren't you? I'll bet no one ever tells you 'no' and you get everything your heart desires." He tightened his grip on her, causing her to whimper.

"You're hurting me!" She complained, clawing at his hands.

"That's the point precious. Perhaps if you receive a little pain, you'll learn your lesson. Remember, we're not playing a game anymore; you have no idea who I am." Jareth spoke dangerously low, his voice turning gravely.

"Then why don't you tell me," She sardonically suggested.

"What a splendid Idea!" he said edgily, letting go of his hold on Sarah suddenly. "I am Jareth, King of the Goblins, leader of the Tuatha de Danann*, keeper and granter of dreams and nightmares, and one of the most feared and respected beings in all of the underground. I can be your greatest dream," His face broke out into a smile, caught somewhere between mockery and genuine. "Or I can be your greatest nightmare, and since you insist on painting me as the villain, I shall give you a villain." His face fell flat, his lips pursing together in a thin line.

Sarah didn't respond; She didn't know what to say. She only stared, breathing shakily as she tried to regain her composure once more.

"Now, give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't drown you in the bog of eternal stench," Jareth crossed his arms, mustering up his most commanding and intimidating visage.

"I'll give you a cookie," She blurted out, almost pitifully, and held out a festive looking tin.

"Pardon?" Jareth's arms dropped to his side, and a perplexed look crossed his features, blinking at the tense girl.

"I'll give you a cookie," She repeated, this time more sure of herself. "They're chocolate chip." She offered, opening the lid of the tin. He looked skeptical for a moment, and gingerly took a cookie from the tin, not missing out on the opportunity to receive home baked goods from his favorite non-ordinary human girl. He examined the cookie in his hands, scrutinizing it even, before sniffing it, and eventually taking a small bite. He chewed carefully and swallowed, standing there frozen.

"Are they that bad?" She questioned with a laugh looking down at the remaining cookies in the tin. "No one has ever had that kind of reaction to my cookies befo—" She paused, hearing the sound of munching, and looked up just in time to see the goblin king pop the last bite of her cookie in his mouth, with a state of euphoric bliss plastered across his face. She barked out a laugh. "Want another?" She held out the tin, and he quickly snatched up another.

"These are incredible!" He took a bite of the second cookie, chewing it slowly this time to savor the taste. "I'm apologize for my earlier behavior, my temper got the best of me."

Sarah looked bewildered; was the Goblin King apologizing to her, all because of her cookies? She continued to gawk at him, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Do close you're mouth Sarah." Jareth said casually, looking over at her. "You'll catch flies if you keep standing there like that." She almost scoffed.

"Wow. My cookies are so good, they'll get the Goblin King to apologize for man handling you," She said to herself sarcastically, meanwhile Jareth sneakily tried to reach for another cookie. Sarah slammed the lid to the tin back on before he could get his hand in.

"Not uh, I don't think so. If you want another cookie you have to let me out of here. And no more tricks! I know it was you who put me in here in the first place, the Oubliettes don't open on their own." She hugged the tin to her chest protectively.

"Are you bargaining with me?" he said, taking a step back aghast.

"Yes." Was her only and simple reply. Jareth raised an elegant eyebrow incredulously, his lips setting into a flat line once more.

"Fine." His answer was just as simple.

Sarah was dumbfounded once more. "Fine?" He nodded. "That's it?" He nodded again. "No fine print, no loopholes, no tricks?"

"No, just give me another cookie precious, and I'll send you on your merry own way." He laced his fingers together, placing his two index fingers at his lips.

"Okay!" She still couldn't believe it. Sarah opened the lid of the tin and held it out to him, and he quickly reached in, taking two more cookies. "Hey!" she scolded him, swatting his hand away as he tried to take yet another. "These were supposed to be for my friends!"

"Ah, they can bugger off! I'm the king, I get first pick."

"Not the way I roll." She pushed him away lightly. "Tell you what. I'll make you your very own batch of cookies. Think of it as a peace offering of sorts." He paused and seemed to think about it for a moment, before quite easily agreeing to the terms.

"That sounds like a fine idea," He wiped his hands on his pants—if they could be called pants, and began to feel along the wall. "Now where is that door? …Ah! Here it is!" Sarah watched him curiously as he turned an invisible knob, and an entire section of the circular room swung out as if it were on a hinge. The other side of the door led them to walk out from inside a wide tree near the outskirts of the Labyrinth. As it closed it seamlessly melded into the bark. Sarah just shook her head. "Don't forget to bring me my cookies, or I'll personally drown you in the bog of eternal stench." Jareth's threat hung in the air, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"For the love of god…" She grumbled, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to wake up in my bed any second now. This is all just a crazy messed up dream." She shook her head and continued on her way.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this new story and chapter! Please Review!

As I said before, this will be short, and rather silly. I've been writing too much heavy drama stuff, so I wanted to do something cheesy and fun. :)

*For those who don't know Gaelic mythology at all, the Tuatha De Danann were the faerie folk that resided in Ireland before they were sent underground.

This story will not be revolving around any mythology, unlike some of my other stories. It's just a silly piece of fluff. I wanted to get back to the characters true nature, rather than what they would do faced with an epic type situation.


	2. Cookies

* * *

New Chapter! I hope you all enjoy this silly romance fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Labyrinth or any of it's characters... But there is a Jareth Blow up doll in my closet...

RxR Please!

* * *

"Sarah, you don't have to do this," Hoggle trailed behind Sarah as she made her way through the familiar maze, huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up with her long strides. "And slow down a little bit! You've got a little more than 13 hours this time." Sarah snorted, glancing at her companion out of the corner of her eyes.

"And give His Royal Pain in the Ass a foot to stand on? Not uh, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure there was an unspoken 13 hour deadline, and even if there wasn't, he'd make up some other excuse to harass me to the best of his abilities." She slowed her pace, running a hand alone the wall. "Now where is that gap?… You didn't see him earlier. I thought I was as good as dead, or perhaps the newest goblin in his twisted little collection at least—Ah! There it is! This way right?" She pointed down the left corridor. Hoggle nodded and they continued on their way.

"If you leave him alone, maybe he'll leave you alone," Hoggle suggested. Sarah looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Now we both know that's not true." She shook her head lightly, her pin straight hair swinging about her shoulders. "Everything that happens in the Labyrinth, to the Labyrinth, to those in the Labyrinth, and to those out of the Labyrinth but are still connected to the Labyrinth in some way, is a personal matter for him," She counted on her fingers for effect, giving a slight huff at the end of her tale.

"He also knows everything that goes on in the Labyrinth," Hoggle pointed out uneasily. "And speaking against the king so blatantly never ends well for anyone else."

"Ah, but I know his weakness." She said with a grin.

"And what would that be?" The dwarf countered.

"My cookies." It was a simple reply, and it seemed to be enough for Hoggle. That is until she heard him snicker. "What?"

"And which cookies are you referring to little lady?" He wagged a finger at her waggling his bushy eyebrows. Sarah froze in her place and sputtered.

"Hoggle!" She accused, looking flustered. He hooted with laughter, slapping his knee.

"You should see your face!" He clutched his sides, tears forming at the edge of his eyes as he laughed. Sarah set her jaw and turned away, suddenly feeling very self-conscious in the white eyelet summer dress she was wearing. The fabric was thin and cool, and it fell just above her knees. Normally she wouldn't have thought anything of the gauzy summer clothing, but Hoggle's comment left her doubting her choice of clothes. In fact, she thought she'd feel more comfortable in nun's clothing and a thick wool sweater.

"Alright alright! You got a good laugh," She huffed petulantly. "Now can we please just get this over with?"

"Of course!" Hoggle admonished, biting back another laugh.

"Let's go," Sarah sighed, continued down the long path towards the front gates of the City. She looked up at the massive gates as they approached, never ceasing to be amazing by their imposing features and impressive craftsmen ship. The first time she had returned to the Goblin City she had been very surprised to find it to be much larger and impressive than she remembered. The gate she had entered during her first trip to the Labyrinth had simply been the east gate, leading to the marshlands where the trash heap and bog of eternal stench were located, not the main gates. No, the main entrance was much more impressive. They soared high in the air, with twisted wrought iron gates. The high stone arch was decorated with copper gold, and onyx jewels, carvings of imposing goblins literally crawling and climbing up the sides of the wall. Sarah mused to herself, noting that they looked more like Gargoyles than Goblins.

"Halt! Who goes there!" An armored Goblin called from atop the guard tower.

Sarah turned her head skywards, shielding her eyes from the bright mid day sun.

"It is I, Sarah, the Labyrinth's Champion. I seek a short reprieve in the City," Sarah was acted out her part perfectly, embellishing her words ever so slightly. She smiled a secret smile, enjoying every second of her momentary real life fantasy tale. The thought swirled through her head, her smile broadening when she realized the irony behind it.

"The very same who destroyed the east quarter?" The guard countered.

"Yes, I do suppose that was me." Sarah glanced away sheepishly at her admittance. She never really thought about the destruction she left in her path until today, where it seemed to be thrown in her face every few hours.

"Go away. You're not welcome here!"

"But I come bearing gifts to the king—a truce!" She protested, brandishing the tin of fresh cookies in the air.

"Nope. Not opening the gate." The goblin turned away with his nose pointed in the air, crossing his arms childishly.

"I'll climb the gate my self if I must!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger harshly at the gridiron gates. "I'll do it! I'm not affected by Iron!"

"Go ahead and try. They only rise 50 feet." He scoffed at her, the guards voice dripping in sarcasm she didn't know a Goblin could possess.

"Will you just open the damned gate!" She shouted with frustration, dropping the medieval fantasy acting.

"Not if my life depended on it!" He shouted back.

"Let me in you overgrown weasel!" Sarah clenched her fists, resisting the urge to actually bang continuously on the Iron Gate.

"La la la la la!" The Goblin put his fingers to his ears. Hoggle just watched on in amusement as Sarah argued with the Goblin, stooping to it's childish behavior.

"I'd appreciate it if you would stop terrorizing the Champion of the Labyrinth, and if you would be so kind, open the gates for her so she can deliver the Cookies of Peace," The King's voice cut through the air, resonating around them like the wavering of a symbol. Sarah rolled her eyes at his usual dramatics, while the goblin in the tower cowered and stammered.

"Y-yes highness." The guard stuttered, cranking the gate up as fast as possible. When the gate was high enough for her to pass under, she quickly made her way through the raised gates and looked on in awe at the bustling city around her.

"This is the Goblin City?" she breathed out, her eyes going wide with amazement.

"Sure is," Hoggle answered gruffly, walking straight towards the center of the city.

"This is incredible!" Sarah eyed the vendors lining the main cobblestone street as they marched towards the castle. She oohed and ahhed at the various wares, itching to touch the finely crafted pottery, jewelry and glass works. Smells of the unusual underground cuisine tantalized her senses, resisting the urge to take up a crafty salesman for their offer on free samples.

"C'mon, don't dilly dally," Hoggle chastised the young woman, dragging her by the hand suddenly. "You don't want to get lost in the Goblin City, It's more confusing than the Labyrinth it's self, but I suppose that's what happens when Goblins build a city." Sarah stifled a laugh, mounting the first step up to the doors of the castle. They nodded to the guards that lined the stairs every few steps, standing straight with silvery armor and iron tipped spears glinting in the mid day sun. Her heart quickened as they stepped closer and closer to the rising entrance of the castle, the main doors standing high above their heads. The impressive doors lay open in wait, with two rather imposing muscular guards standing, spears crossed, blocking the open entrance should a threat be present.

"Halt! State your business with the Goblin King," The guard to Sarah's right bellowed, his gaze fixed straight ahead, one arm plastered to his side while the other held the spear steadily.

"I am an…" Sarah struggled with her words. "An acquaintance of the King. I'm here to deliver a package."

"Package… Cookies!" Hoggle snickered, bursting into a fit of laughter once again. Sarah schooled her face, her lips pursing together tightly and stomped on his foot with her heel. "OW! You pigtailed wench!" He hollered. It was Sarah's turn to snicker this time.

"I apologize for my friends behavior, may we have entrance to see the king?" She smiled sweetly at the guards, clutching the tin of cookies tightly in her hands. They looked at each other skeptically for a moment and parted their spears blocking the castle doors.

"You have impeccable timing Sarah," A smooth voice caught her attention as she wandered into the main hallway of the castle, gazing around with a glazed expression at the magnificent rising marble pillars and gold filigree and striping covering the stonework. She turned her head towards the source, finding the Goblin King lounging against one of the towering columns. "I do believe you beat your original time," He flashed her a feral smile, hints of amusement edging his voice.

"I would think so, considering I wasn't thrown off the correct path this time by a spy," She responded, rather accusingly.

"Now now, I thought we were past such unpleasantries," He held up his hands in defense, taking the opportunity to drag his eyes over her body. "Where's your, uh, 'friend'," He asked, sarcasm accentuating the word of choice.

"He's outside," she said, a pissed off look crossing her face. "Still laughing at his own terrible joke."

"I see," He looked amused, but that was all. A silence fell between them, intensely filling the space in between. He continued to look at her, a thoughtful expression taking over his face while he gave a small crooked grin. She squared her shoulders, trying to shake off the feeling of his piercing gaze that made her feel like prey.

"So, Peace cookies?" She offered, holding out the tin in front of her, her voice cracking nervously. He gave a small chuckle, pushing himself off the column lazily, advancing toward her. Sarah's first instinct was to walk backwards, but after her initial flinch she held her ground obstinately, ignoring the warning bells going off in her head. There was no danger this time around—at least no other threat than the powerful king advancing on her, no younger brothers to save, no disasters to fix—no, she was going to take this head on.

"What kind of cookies are these?" He pointed to the tin. The statement was absurd coming from the ethereal king.

"Chocolate Chip," She said quickly, before he noticed the wavering of her voice. He gave a lazy smile, his lips stretching into one of cheek. "Here," She thrust out the tin in front of her as he came closer still.

"Thank you," He said, regal tones inflecting his voice. He took the tin from her, and she could swear he purposely dragged one of his hands across hers as he retrieved his prize.

"You'll do just about anything for these cookies, won't you," She said, raising an elegant eyebrow skeptically. Hearing the Goblin King thank her was not something she ever expected to hear, or suspected he did often. He ignored the comment, already blissfully munching on a cookie. "Careful, you'll lose your girlish figure." She teased, putting a hand on her hips. He opened an eye lazily, not even bothering to glare.

"My my, Little Sarah has grown up to become quite the homemaker," He put the lid of the tin back on, indirectly responding to her previous banter.

"Homemaker!" Sarah Snorted. "Hardly. I enjoy baking and cooking, so I do so, but a homemaker I am in no way shape or form."

"Oh really?" He continued to rib her, countering as sarcastically as he could muster.

"I'm a single editor, who lives in a tiny messy apartment and could care less about decorating my home. I merely enjoy good food." She didn't seem amused, he noted warily.

"Ah," He nodded, pursing his lips momentarily. "So I see the life of the mundane isn't what you thought it would be, is it?" He flashed a dangerous smile, and his voice turned sharp. He leaned back against a nearby pillar, lounging there lazily as he stared her down with vicious eyes. Sarah turned her gaze to meet his, her jaw setting as she glared back at the majestic king.

"I never had any high expectations for my life," She bit out. "I would always just be a plain and boring girl with an obscure love of fantasy." Sarah then added for effect. "Nothing more, nothing less."

For a moment, he looked taken aback, genuinely shocked even. He dropped his arms and pushed himself from his lounge once more, and began to circle her curiously.

"You think you're plain and boring," He repeated, not believing what she had just said. She gave a small nod, feeling insecure. He was so close to her; she could smell the leather and the herbal musky scent that covered his skin. There was barely a foot between them. He stopped his prowling, standing in front of her with his hands on his hips. Sarah didn't dare look up at him, so instead he took the liberty to lift her chin himself. "I assure you Sarah, you are not 'Just a plain and boring girl'," He shook his head lightly as he said it, and his expression melted ever so slightly into something she couldn't quite place. The gesture left her shocked, and she stared wide-eyed into his as she held her breath unknowingly. They stood unmoving like statues, both afraid to break the enveloping tension that seized them.

"Hurry up Sarah! It doesn't take a century to deliver a tin of cookies!" Thankfully Hoggle did so for them. Sarah tore her gaze away, turning towards her friend who was trotting towards them. She rolled her eyes, amused by his impatient antics and turned back towards the king. She found he had returned to the pillar once more, munching on a new cookie.

"Jareth, you are one of the strangest people I have ever met." She said, using his name for the first time this visit to add a personal touch to the comment, a mischievous grin crossing her face. "One second you're threatening my life, and then the next you're flirting with me." He stopped mid chew, almost choking on the cookie.

"Flirting?" He nearly barked out, his eyebrows rising to his hairline. "You think I'm flirting with you?"

"I don't think, I know," Her grin widened and her eyes slit sultrily.

"I'd watch what you say if I were you, Sarah," He practically purred her name. It fell off his tongue, sounding like velvet on her ears, but she wasn't sure if it was that or the sinister tone that sent shivers down her spine.

"Why?" She gulped, trying hard to maintain her confidence. "I know your weakness."

"What, Iron?" He said, faking a yawn. "That's old news Sarah dear, all Fae are allergic to Iron." She shook her head, her mahogany hair spinning around her face.

"No no no, not Iron." She paused for dramatic effect, watching him carefully as she peaked his interest. She stepped forward, closing the space between them once more, and ever so slightly leaned forward, copying a maneuver he had once used on her. "Cookies," She said matter-of-factly. He gave her a flat unbelieving stare. She merely nodded. "That's right: my cookies," Sarah ignored the snicker coming from behind them and she could see Jareth shoot a quick glare at Hoggle. "If you were to dump me in an Oubliette, or the Bog of Eternal Stench, or god forbid actually kill me, You'd never ever get these cookies. Ever. Again." Her voice rose to high pitches teasingly, smiling victoriously when she saw him swallow sharply.

"I've had enough of this slander," He spoke, his voice horse, despite his attempt to sound imposing. "You may leave now," as he said a light glowed around her momentarily before she disappeared form sight, shouting at him angrily as he did so. He drew a shaky breath and leaned his head back on the stone pillar.

"You're a terrible dirty liar," Hoggle said to him, snickering all the while.

"I have no qualms about throwing you in the Bog Hedgewart," Jareth bit out angrily.

"I'm Just saying," He responded, holing his hands up defensively. "I'm not sure which cookies you are more fond of," He wagged his eyebrows. The king's eyes practically bulged out of his head and a rosy flush invaded his pale cheeks. "You may leave now too," He said through clenched teeth, and Hoggle like Sarah, disappeared from sight, hollering with laughter as he reappeard outside of the Castle.

Sarah looked at her friend as he appeared besides her, and he looked up at her. They both stared for a moment, fighting off laughter, small giggles and snickers escaping their perspective selves, and burst into a fit of laughter as they walked off into the Goblin City.

* * *

I'm really enjoying this story!

New chapter of 6 feet underground coming within the week! Keep an eye out for it!


	3. Peacock

* * *

New Chapter! That was fast. I got on a roll and didn't stop!

Enjoy! I thought the story would end up being much longer than what I originally siad, but decided against it. Dragging it out would not work too well.

There's probably 2-3 chapters left at most. So, 6 instead of the 4 I said before.

Please R X R!

* * *

It had been a little less than a year since that odd fateful day, and from it sprung a strange relationship. It had started out rather strained, the tension between them never seeming to dissipate. They would encounter each other every so often, by accident at first, but soon they began to seek each other out, feigning surprise when the other appeared. Sarah was no fool; she knew he was aware of her presence in the Labyrinth when she visited. Soon it was obvious he would put himself in a situation to intercept her journeys. They would flirt and tease, but it never seemed other than friendly, despite what her friends insisted. Though she had begun to look forward to their 'chance' meetings after a while, excitement coursing through her at the prospect, and would come up with clever things to say to him ahead of time, or perhaps a compromising position to put him in when she traveled the Goblin City. It wasn't long though until they began to purposely visit each other—Jareth insisted it was only for the cookies at first, but they too soon became secondary.

Tonight though was a relatively quiet night. The mid summer air was humid and everything seemed to stand still, with the exception of the storm rolling in. The rain hadn't started yet, much to her dismay, but there was enough rolling thunder and lightning to out-drama the Goblin King himself. The thought brought an amused smile to her lips as she read her book, snuggled into the plush loveseat in the tiny living room of her apartment. She cringed as thunder clapped once more, clutching tighter to the binding of her book.

"Poor Sarah, terrified of the thunder," The familiar voice she had come to know so well filled the air. She lifted her head, looking about the room, not finding him anywhere. Suddenly though, there was a heavy weight and warmth upon her lap. She looked down, finding the Goblin King lounging there, with his head resting in her lap.

"Did you just poof yourself into my lap?" She asked incredulously, her expression flat.

"The correct term would be magical transit, Precious," He flashed her a toothy smile, his pointed canines glittering in the dim light. She rolled her eyes, going back to her book, ignoring his rather desperate pleas for attention. He scowled, glaring at the book cover. He snatched it away from her grasp, smiling at her protests. "What is this you are reading? Twilight?" He flipped to a random page in the book and began to read aloud. " 'Isabella.' He pronounced my full name carefully, then playfully ruffled my hair with his free hand. A shock ran through my body at his casual touch. 'Bella, I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don't know how it's tortured me.' He looked down, ashamed again. 'The thought of you, still, white, cold . . . to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses . . . it would be unendurable. He lifted his glorious agonized eyes to mine…. God I can't even continue to read this. What is this rubbish you have subjected yourself to Sarah?" Sarah blushed furiously, snatching the book from him.

"It's a good book!" She protested. "It has a good plot—typical good vs. evil, love stories, vampires—really hot vampires," She added the last part with a slight grin, much to his dismay.

"Since when is a blood sucking murderous creature considered…'hot'," He quoted her, his face turning in disgust. "I've met quite a few vampires in my time, and let me tell you, there is not a single creature out there who would think they were 'hot'. In fact they're rather unattractive and uncaring," He accentuated the sentence, taunting her indirectly for her choice of wording. Sarah raised her eyebrows, looking unconvinced. "Though," He added thoughtfully, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. "If the prospect of someone sucking on your neck enthralls you so, I'd be more than happy to comply." Sarah drew in a sharp breath, a flush running through her face, much to his amusement. She set her jaw angrily and pushed him off of her lap onto the ground, enjoying the satisfying thud, though the feeling passed quickly when she heard his laughter rise from his spot on the ground. "It seems like I've hit a nerve," He said teasingly, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"You're a pervert," She said, scrunching her nose.

"And you're a prude!" He flashed her a brilliant smile once more, leaning his head back on the cushion, his feathery flaxen hair brushing at her legs. She gave a shaky sigh, running a hand through her own hair.

"What do you want?" She asked him, shifting her position on the love seat. She stretched out, her legs touching the other armrest, and laid her head on the one at her head.

"Cookies of course," He said as if it was no question at all.

"Of course," She replied, using the same tone he did. "Why did I even ask? I should've gotten out the eggs, flower and sugar as soon as you showed up in my lap." He nodded in agreement, ignoring her obvious sarcasm. "Why don't I give you the recipe and you can have one of your cooks make cookies for you?" She offered, wincing when lightning lit up the room in a blue glow once more.

"I already tried. Their cookies were completely different; tasteless compared to yours. Not even my finest pastry chef could come up with a cookie to compete with the ones you make." He waved a hand in the air, relating the tragic tale.

"Were these chefs Goblins?" She asked curiously.

"No," He responded coolly.

"Then I'll take the compliment," A self-satisfied smile played upon her lips. "Alright, I'll make you some cookies." She got up from her spot on the couch, adjusting her summer shorts when she stood.

Jareth watched her, his eyes trailing her closely as she went to the kitchen and began to gather ingredients. Out from the cupboards she retrieved the flour, white sugar, and brown sugar, standing on the tip of her toes to retrieve the chocolate chips from the highest shelf, and the molasses from the closet. She stopped in the middle of her routine as she moved to the fridge to get the butter and eggs, standing still as a statue.

"You're staring at me," She said in a whisper, her voice wavering uncertainly. He didn't answer, just continued to watch her, his hands clasped politely while he sat on the ground against the couch with his long legs bent up. She took a deep breath through her nose and whirled around, here eyes instinctively finding his hypnotic gaze.

There it was, that tension once again. Her heart raced faster and faster, and his fire and ice eyes refused to let go of hers.

"You… you can watch T.V if you want," She stammered, trying to break the tight tension emanating between them, failing miserably.

"You're much more interesting than that contraption," He replied, his voice soft and low. Normally the comment would've seemed coy coming from the usually mischievous Fae, but instead there was something left there unsaid, something tender and yearning, sad even.

Sarah nearly choked and whirled back around to the open fridge, rummaging around for the butter and eggs once more.

"What are you doing?" Her mind screamed at her. "You were about 10 seconds away from hot sloppy make outs!" Sarah tightened her grip on the refrigerator door, her knuckles going white as she resisted the urge to curse the devilish inner voice.

"That's exactly what can't happen," She mentally scolded herself, taking the eggs and butter from the fridge and slamming it rather forcefully. "He's a king, I'm a commoner, and a human, It can't happen." She told herself, rather unconvincingly. "It wouldn't be allowed!" she mumbled audibly, pouring the portioned ingredients into a mixing bowl. She continued to argue with herself, mixing the contents in the bowl furiously.

Jareth watched the display, amusement coming over him as he watched her inner battle take place. He pushed himself from the ground, dusting off his leggings and sleeves, and moved silently to her, standing just behind her.

"Are you talking to yourself, my dear?" He teased, placing his gloved hands on her near bare shoulders. Sarah screamed suddenly as he pulled her from her turmulous reverie, spinning around to smack him in the face with the wooden spoon she had been mixing the cookie dough with, leaving a rather large clump stuck to his angular features.

"Christ! You scared me!" a hand flew to her chest, covering her heart as she caught her breath. She glanced over him, noticing the flat frustrated look in his eyes and his pursed lips, then the glob of cookie dough now falling off of his cheek, causing her to snicker at his compromising predicament.

"Who else would it be?" He asked frustratedly, wiping the stray cookie dough from his face, then added with a promising hint, "We're the only two here."

"You are insufferable!" She said, pushing him away with a finger on his exposed chest, laughing at what she thought were his joking attempts at seduction. "Nice try Romeo, better luck next time."

He pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "Apparently next time never comes," the hint was anything but subtle. She let a small sad sigh escape her lips and turned back to the batter, scooping it out into little dough balls to bake.

"It would never work," She squeezed her eyes shut and mumbled silently as a reminder to her self, and an ache that had become all too familiar began welling up inside her.

"Sarah," The regal Fae called, attempting to get her attention once more.

"What now Jareth?" She answered, completely exasperated. He smiled fondly at her antics. Before he could ask her his question a flash of lightning enveloped the room in a blue glow one more time, but it didn't stop there. The lights above them flickered violently before the lights went out completely, quickly followed by a violent rumble of thunder that shook the small apartment building down to it's foundation. Sarah shrieked, dropping the cookie dough covered spoon. It clattered o the ground as she jumped, clinging tightly to Jareth.

"Why are you so afraid of thunder? The lightning didn't bother you." He held her to him comfortingly, supporting the small of her back.

"It reminds me of earthquakes," She said, her voice muffled in the fabric of his shirt. "I was almost crushed in one when I was little. We had gone on a vacation to California to visit my aunt and we got caught in an earthquake on the highway. I got hit with debris and had to be taken to the hospital." She explained weakly, blinking back the phobic tears. "It's stupid, but loud thunder scares me."

"Brave and fearless Sarah isn't so fearless after all," He said teasingly, savoring the feeling of her warmth against him.

"Shut up," She hissed. She stayed still for a moment, resting there with his arms around her. She sighed, knowing she couldn't stay there, and twisted in his grasp, looking around the room. Instinctively, Jareth tightened his hold around her waist. "The power's out completely. Great," She grumbled noticing the digital clock on the oven was off. "Now the oven won't work. I'll be lucky if the power comes on tomorrow—the cookie dough will go bad…"

"What?" He reeled back, dropping his arms from her form. "No cookies?"

"Don't worry," She informed him in a singsong manner, feeling her way over to the counter. "I take it you've never had cookie dough—I can't see if you're shaking your head Jareth."

He gave a small chuckle. "No, I haven't." He approached her quietly in the dark, snaking his arms through hers, a self satisfied smirk turning up on his lips as he heard her suck in a quick breath.

"Stop doing that!" She whined, picking up a ball of cookie dough. He chuckled deeply, and she marveled at his chest rumbling against her back.

"Doing what?" He asked innocently. She turned to face him, despite the fact she couldn't see a thing.

"Sneaking up on me!" She nearly yelled, then paused her anger fading. "Can you see in the dark?" she mused aloud, wondering how he was able to sneak up on her if he couldn't.

"Yes, I can," He replied quickly, returning to the original issue. "So you don't mind if I do this then?" His voice dropped low as he leaned over her, pressing her further up against the counter top. He heard her gasp quietly, and dropped his face close to hers, their faces inches away from each other.

Sarah's mind reeled, and on the inside she was doing cartwheels. She shivered at the closeness, her arms struggling to hold herself up on the counter. A tiny electric thrill ran through her as his feathery hair and warm brushed against her face.

"Yes," She said, swallowing hard to clear up her hoarse voice. "I do mind," She said all too forcefully, pushing him away from her. He cursed under his breath, mentally kicking himself.

"You're so much fun to rile up Sarah dear," He forced himself to laugh, playing it of as a joke.

"You're terrible!" She scoffed and laughed in return, convinced by his acting. "Here—cookie dough. Eat it," She commanded, holding it out for him to take.

"That's marvelous," He commented happily, savoring the taste as it melted in his mouth. Sarah nodded mutely and climbed up on the counter.

"Damnit, I can't find them," She mumbled, feeling around for a packet of matches in the cabinet. "Ah! There they are! C'mon, we can go have a romantic candlelight cookie dough feast," She said jokingly, a hint of sarcasm playing in her words. She felt the counter for the candle holders, and grabbed a few sticks from their box and hopped down from the counter.

"Here, let me help," He took hold of her elbow, and lead her out of the kitchen back to the small living room, tray of cookie dough in hand. He set the tray down on the small table a few feet away from the loveseat and took the items from her arms, placing and lighting the candles on the table.

"Cookies!" a loud squeaky voice game out of no where, and a small shadowy shape ran across the room.

"Of for—" Sarah giggled, seeing Jareth curse inaudibly at the appearance of his Goblins.

"Cookie _dough_," Corrected another, slightly larger Goblin who was currently trying to climb onto the table. A third one cooed, eyeing the tray greedily.

"Mine!" Shouted the first one, launching at the tray.

"What the devil? What are you cretins doing here?" He hissed at them through clenched teeth.

"We followed his Majesty," Announced the once who was currently lying on top of the cookie dough.

"Clearly," He said flatly. Sarah snickered, biting her lower lip as she watched the goblin maim the tray of cookie dough.

"We're gonna take this now, and then His Majesty and the Lady can be alooooonnne," The goblin climbing the table hoisted it's self up onto the top, giving it's announcement rather officially.

"Lady is pretty," Said the one who had helped the second onto the table, swinging around sheepishly. Sarah gave a quiet laugh and smile, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"Tell her King, tell heeeerrrr," Urged the second one. Jareth clenched his fists at his side and growled at them furiously.

"Leave. Now," He seethed, glaring at them harshly. The 3 of them screamed and vanished from sight. He slumped his shoulders when they were gone, flopping down on the couch. "Thankfully, those 3 are some of the stupider Goblins."

"There's such a thing as a smart Goblin?" She asked, disbelieving.

"Yes, they tend to be more humanlike in mannerisms and looks though. There are many different kinds of Goblins, some are very intelligent, much like dwarves, and others are extremely stupid." He didn't seem too happy about the idiotic ones.

Sarah nodded in understanding, turning to face him. "So what are you supposed to tell me?" She asked coyly, glancing shyly at him from under her lashes.

"Actually it's an 'ask' more than a 'tell'," He said, propping his head up on one hand. "The summer solstice is approaching, and along with that is the Solstice Ball." He watched her reaction carefully. Her face lightened momentarily, and formed into a hopeful doe eyed gaze. "I was hoping you would attend. Many of the Goblins and citizens who have become friendly with you have pretty much demand that I ask you to attend. They're all very fond of you," He smiled as he said it. If everything went according to his eventual plan, Sarah would be his Queen. It would be very important for his Citizens to accept her, or else she wouldn't be allowed to take the thrown due to her status.

"Do _you_ want me to attend?" She asked playfully. She laughed slightly.

"Yes, I would be honored if you would attend our ball, m'lady," He said, a familiar mocking tone returning to his voice as he picked up her hand and kissed it formally.

"I would be honored, good sir," She replied, following the fake formalities. "I don't have a dress that would be suitable for a Ball though," She said dismayed.

"Not to worry," He said waving off her concern. "I'll have one made for you." Sarah looked shocked, and her mouth fell open slightly.

"No, no no. You can't do that Jareth, I'd be asking too much." She protested, pulling her hand away.

"Not at all. I'm king, I can do whatever I like." He flashed her a pointed smile, ignoring the base of the comment.

"That's not what I mean…"

"I know, but it doesn't matter. If I tell my tailors to make you a dress, they'll make you a dress, because I said so," He interrupted her suddenly, pushing away her worries with force. "You will be attending, even if I must feed you hallucinogenic peaches again." Sarah barked out a laugh, her mouth falling open.

"And you think I'm spoiled," She poked the hard planes of his chest playfully.

"I run an entire country. I should be allowed to ask for just about anything I want," He replied slyly, the corners of his mouth turning out in a snobbish manner. "With in reason," He admonished.

"You realize there isn't much time. The solstice is only 13 days away," She paused, and blinked slowly, realizing what she had just said. She turned her stoic gaze towards him and said sarcastically, "nice. Very nice." He just laughed, his shoulders shaking heartily.

"So it's settled then! You'll have a dress fit for a Queen." The expression shot an excited rush through her, and she swore her heart skipped a beat. "You're fittings will start as soon as I talk to my tailors."

"Just no Rufees peaches this time," She said accusingly.

"I'd never—"

"Not this time you wouldn't," She corrected before he could protest earlier.

"I don't need Rufees," He pouted. "I have woman falling all over me. To the point where it's almost a nuisance," He grimaced, thinking back to woman who almost literally threw themselves at him in the past.

"And have you ever followed through?" She challenged smugly.

"I don't make it a point of being a whore," He said harshly. "Or airing my dirty laundry, I believe the expression is."

"You're avoiding the question, you sneak!" She accused, throwing a pillow at him. "You are a liar," She said dragging out the insult tauntingly. He looked at her, an eyebrow raised harshly.

"Careful precious," Suddenly he was on top of her, pinning her down. Sarah froze; She didn't breath, she didn't move, and her heart stopped momentarily. "I can be quite…persuasive when I want to." His voice dropped to low sultry levels and he practically purred in her ear. His lips were hovering above the lobe, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine once more. Then, as soon as he had come before, he was gone, leaving Sarah there on the couch, flustered and frustrated.

"What the hell," She couldn't even figure out what had just happened. "Did you just proposition me?" She shouted at the air, a shocked laugh bursting from her chest. "God damn it. Stupid no good too-tight-pant wearing strutting glittery peacock!." She grumbled, laughing all the while. "Why can't I hate you?" As her cry of frustration filled the air, Jareth watched her through a crystal, laughing as he lounged on his throne.

* * *

Ah, antics. Good stuff.


	4. Sanctuary

Story is ending soon! I hope you've all enjoyed it so far!

* * *

Jareth hurled a crystal at an unsuspecting wall furiously, the orb flying through the air at incredible speeds, and then smashing into a fine dust. It was at least the 5th crystal destroyed within the hour, and still his frustration refused to subside.

"Your Majesty, please calm down," The stalwart fox knight begged, wincing as the crystal shattered against the stone walls of the room. This was not what the small knight expected at all when the King called upon him. Advice perhaps, after all, who knew Sarah better than Hoggle, Ludo and He? Not a single person in all of the Underground, or Abovegound could say they knew her better.

"She's infuriating!" He roared. "She taunts me, makes me think like I am actually getting somewhere, for once—and no, not in that way--," he interrupted his rant as Hoggle began to snicker. "And then it always somehow reverts back to the friend thing. I'm not well versed in this sort of thing… I don't know how I'm supposed to approach her."

"Well being angry won't change anything," The tiny knight attempted to console the enraged Fae. "In all due respect majesty, you're lucky the girl isn't still terrified by you." The comment was meant to be encouraging, but the king was none too happy with it. Jareth growled angrily, kicking a goblin that had unsuspectingly wandered into a warzone. The poor thing had only wanted to ask for the king's interference in a personal matter. You see, he and his neighbor had gotten into a spat earlier that day about which chickens belonged to whom, and they agreed begrudgingly that asking the king for his aide would be the best thing to do. Unfortunately for him, he had chosen a very wrong day to argue with his neighbor. The goblin shouted and scurried from the hall in a fury. Sir Dydminus sighed tiredly and rubbed at the corner of his eyes.

"I've nearly tried everything, short of telling her outright!" Jareth shouted gruffly, a scowl turning his face dark.

"Maybe you should," Hoggle interjected, giving a small shrug of his stout shoulders.

"And have my spirit crushed again? I think not," Jareth scoffed, cursing himself mentally for showing his weakness.

"Maybe you should try not being so damned cryptic," Hoggle said gruffly and added with a pathetic huff, "Whether we like it or not, we know you two are right for each other." Jareth gave a weak smile.

"Whether _you_ like it or not," Sir Dydimus corrected the dwarf sharply. "But I do concur, I think it's a perfect match." He commended, turning to the king.

"Yes well, Sarah is oblivious to what everyone else thinks then," Jareth grumbled wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This conversation will have to unfortunately wait, I must retrieve Sarah for her gown fitting."

"The lady will be attending the ball? That's the perfect opportunity!" Sir Dydimus said ecstatically, his whiskers twitching as a smile crossed his features.

"As much as I don't like it, Sarah would make a great queen," Hoggle admitted. "You better not hurt her!" He pointed a stubby finger at the king accusingly.

"Your valiance is deeply admirable Higgle, but I assure you, Sarah won't be harmed." He gave a wide grin, his canines glinting. Hoggle groaned, waving him off. Jareth chuckled deeply as the dwarf walked off in a huff. "Well, I should be off to retrieve my lady," He gave a mock bow to the knight who remained there, disappearing from sight as he rose from the bow. Sir Dydimus gave a bemused chuckle and ran off to catch up with his friend.

Jareth appeared in Sarah's modest living room, a fine glittery dust spreading over the nearby furniture. He brushed the remaining magical discharge from his clothing, stretching his arms in the air lazily. It was then that he realized there wasn't a fire-breathing brunette scolding him for turning her living room into a pre-school art room. It was odd, he decided, humming to himself skeptically.

"Sarah?" He called out, listening for an answer. He gave a petulant huff when he heard no answer. "Sarah, are you home?" He called again, walking into the kitchen. No one there either, only an half empty cup of coffee and a bowl of remaining soggy lucky charms. He leaned on the doorframe, letting out a frustrated breath, blowing the stray pieces of hair from his face. "Where in the world is that girl?" He mumbled, thinking for a moment. An impish grin spread across his face as an idea struck him; what if Sarah was sleeping? An image of her sleeping form beneath the covers, as she dreamt peacefully popped into his mind, making his heart skip a beat, then beat a little faster. He swallowed hard, allowing a puckish vision of him waking her from her peaceful slumber, while she mumbled something incoherent and most likely embarrassing, only to realize that it was he who took her away from her dreamland. Oh, the look on her face would be priceless! Completely worth the shrill yelling that would ensue. He approached her door quietly, walking carefully and slowly to avoid any loud creaking in the floor, then pushed the door open slowly, cursing under his breath as the door defied him, letting out a long groan of old dry wood. He then peered inside, unknowingly holding his breath as he expected to lay eyes upon the sleeping brunette, finding that she was not there either. He scanned her room dejectedly and took a seat on the edge of her bed. The room like the rest of the apartment was small, just big enough for a bookshelf, small bedside table and an art desk covered in paper, paints and paintbrushes. He could see that Sarah still clung to her childhood fantasies and love of magic—it was everywhere in her room. Dream catchers hung from the ceiling, as well as prisms, that would cast rainbows across the room in the daytime. Books of fairytales and magic filled her bookshelf, including all of the classics as well as some more modern tales. The same dwarf bookends held the books upright, and next to one of them stood the glass music box of a girl in a sugar spun ball gown. He picked it up, turning the key absently while surveying the room, letting the familiar sad melody ring clear, realizing she had kept everything of her childhood memories. As soon as the realization came into existence, the image of Sarah dressed in her old polyester princess gown willed it's self into his head, the dress clinging to her womanly curves in criminal ways. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Bad, bad, very bad," He grumbled shakily.

"No no!" His head shouted at him. "Good, very very good!"

"Shut up!" He hissed, clutching his head lightly, propping his elbows on his knees.

"King okay?" A squeaky voice called from the floor. Jareth redirected his gaze towards the squat goblin that had apparently followed him to Sarah's apartment. "King looks like he in pain," The goblin nodded furiously with a dumb grim plastered across it's ruddy face. Jareth went stiff, sputtering momentarily.

"Gimp, go home," He bit out.

"Okay, well have a Band-Aid. They fix hurt," Gimp continued to bob his head, pulling out a Band-Aid from it's box and placed it on one of Jareth's leather glad legs. Gimp them laughed manically, and ran into the closet, with a trail of Band-Aids falling behind him as they fell from the box. He shook his head at the small Goblin's antics. He gazed about the room still trying to calm his nerves and noticed a peculiar item. A crystal ball perched on a small stand on the window ledge. He laughed lightly, picking up the heavy stone globe, scrutinizing it carefully. It was clear for the most part; with a few small cracks in the stone it's self, breaking up the rounded fish eye view of the world as you looked through it.

"How quaint," He said dryly, ignoring the warm feeling in his stomach, then he noticed the familiar red leather book sitting on the bedside table. Obviously she had been reading it recently. He flipped it open to the bookmarked page gingerly, his breath catching at what he saw. She had re-written the events, in the book to reflect her own journey. Instead of the heroic standoff between the girl and evil king, it was the exchange of wills between them; Her determination to get back her brother, and his beseeching plea, word for word. Memories flooded into his mind like a tidal wave as he read.

_"Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave," The king called to the girl, holding out a crystal that contained all of her dreams and desires._

_"Idiot," The girl thought idly. "Don't you know you are my dreams and desires?" She lifted her head and looked into the face of the king, seeing his pain, wishing she could make it go away, to tell him how she felt, but she knew she couldn't. She had to save her brother, and she was just a 15-year-old human girl, and he was a powerful, immortal king. He would tire of her quickly, especially as she rapidly aged._

_"Just forget it," her mind hissed, as she struggled to remember her right words._

_"You have no power over me!" She blurted them out as they came to mind, holding back her tears as the world around her crumbled. She reached out, weakly grasping for the crystal that was quickly fading from view, and just as she touched it, popped like a fragile bubble._

Jareth stopped reading, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. He glanced over at the page next to it, finding an illustration from memory of him in his court clothes, feathered cape and bone collar, holding out the crystal. The detail in the picture was remarkable, every strand of hair, every wrinkle, the crease in his mouth, and the pain in his pencil drawn counterpart's eyes… every single detail was perfect, as if it was a snapshot in time turned black and white. He scanned the picture, his eyes trailing to the bottom of the page where a note was scribbled sideways in curly writing that read, "I'm so sorry". Jareth licked his lips, realizing his mouth had gone dry and closed the book slowly, placing it back on the small table where he had found it. He was… confused, he realized as the lump in his throat that refused to leave began to turn into a glimmer of hope. He conjured a crystal to his hand, twirling it about his fingers momentarily.

"Show me Sarah," He whispered, willing her image to appear. She was with Toby, walking calmly next to him while the boy pulled and tugged on her hand. He said something to her and stuck his tongue out. Sarah laughed and chased after him as the little boy dashed away from his sister down what looked like a hallway. His attention was taken away from the crystal when he heard laughing and shouting from outside the apartment door. A crooked grin played upon his face and he led the crystal pop, and moved to the door, opening it to see Sarah tickling Toby while she pinned him to the ground, the boy laughing and shrieking begging her to stop.  
Sarah did stop after she realized the door had opened, looking up into a very amused face of the goblin king. Toby gasped, jumping up to his feet.

"Goblin King!" He shouted excitedly, pushing past Jareth into the apartment. "Do you remember me?" He jumped onto the couch, bouncing up and down.

"Yes, I do. Obviously you remember me quite well," He said, a warm smile spreading across his face. He leaned in the doorway lazily, crossing his arms over his abdomen with one leg up, resting his foot on the doorframe to block Sarah from entering.

"Is Sarah in trouble?" The boy asked, falling onto the couch with one last jump.

"No, not at all," Jareth laughed, turning towards Sarah who was tapping her foot impatiently and glaring fiercely. He smiled at her jestingly. "In fact, Sarah and I have a date."

"Ooooh!" Toby called, and then fell into a fit of giggles.

"Like hell we do!" Sarah snapped defensively, causing Jareth to smirk at her defensive quick reaction. "What are you going on about now, Goblin king?"

"Your dress my dear, for the ball. A fitting does require the presence of its intended wearer." He made a lazy hand flourish, his eyes glinting mischievously as Sarah pursed her lips angrily.

"Will you please let me in to my apartment." It was more of a demand than a request.

Jareth make a clicking sound with his tongue and shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, a toll has been installed—the price is one kiss, and I can not let you pass unless you pay it." Toby laughed in the background, making kissing noises.

"Well then," She said, hip checking him. Jareth stumbled, but recovered his balance gracefully. "Uninstall your rear end from my door way kindly. Keep trying though."

The blonde Fae gave a small dry chuckle and practically slid onto the couch next to Toby, placing his boot clad feet on the modest coffee table. Sarah watched him and shook her head, taking a seat at the small dinner table.

"I'd offer you something, but I have no food. Everything went bad because the power is still out." Sarah sighed, leaning the chair back on two of its feet.

"Still? Well when will it be back? I never got my cookies—or cookie dough." He hung his head back over the top of the couch and stared at the ceiling, letting the blood rush to his head.

"I didn't get any either, so Sarah took me to McDonalds instead. I got a happy meal!"

"Thursday at the earliest." She said grimly, though a small smile played upon her lips—Toby always managed to cheer her up with his whimsical antics. "I have no idea what I'm going to do for a week is no electricity. I can't cook or do anything. There isn't even water! I took a shower at the YMCA last night. Plus I'm watching Toby while Dad and Karen are away on their '10th anniversary honeymoon'." She mocked, putting her head onto the cool table. "It's hot as hell and I don't even have a fan because the electricity is out."

"Well then, the two of you are going to come stay with me—"

"At the Castle?" Toby interrupted, jumping up excitedly. Jareth nodded, lifting his head.

"Jareth, thank you, but you can't do that," She tilted her head towards him, her eyebrows turning up softly.

"Sarah, Sarah, Sarah," Jareth shook his head, smiling gently at her. "When will you realize, I would rearrange the stars if you asked me to." Sarah stared wide-eyed at him, her mouth parted slightly and a slight blush rose to her cheeks. Toby looked back and forth between the King and his sister, a look of confusion crossing the 8 year olds face. "I know you're a busy person," He began softly, "What with your graduate work, illustrations and play rehearsal…" He stood up from the couch and walked over to her, his walk taking on a slight swagger. "You deserve a break—School's out for the summer, you have no real deadlines right now for your art work, and the theatre company will survive if you're out 'sick' for a few days." He sat down in the chair next to her and grabbed her hands.

"How do you know all of that?" She asked, ignoring the slight flutter in her stomach.

"I'm not so completely full of my self Precious," He said, smirking lightly. "I do pay attention to what you say." Sarah chuckled softly in response.

"And here I thought that all you wanted was my cookies." Sarah jested, noticing something flash across Jareth's face, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Oh no," He thought, resisting the urge to push away a stray strand of hair that had fallen into her face "I want so much more than that."

The rest of the day had been exhausting to say the least after Jareth hauled she and her brother off to the Labyrinth, and got them settled into their guest rooms. Until today, Sarah had no idea how exhausting a dress fitting could be. All day she had been on her feet, standing on a stool and trying not get pricked with a needle while the seamstresses trussed her up in a corset and bloomers, creating layers upon layers of underskirts for the ball gown. After nearly 5 hours the decided that it had been enough for the day and removed the pounds of heavy fabric weighing her down. She had breathed a sigh of relief and almost ran out of the room. Now Sarah sat in the windowsill of the luxurious guest room the Goblin King had prepared for her. The room was fantastic-- she couldn't have asked for more. In fact, she protested his generosity. The room it's self was large, with deep cherry wood woodwork and furniture. The walls were covered in woven cloth brocade wallpaper, colored champagne with a dusty rose pattern. Candlelights lined the wall, spaced evenly around the room. On one wall that faced out of the castle were a set of large balcony doors and windows, all done in magnificent stained glass that cast colorful light around the room.

Currently, Sarah sat perched in the large windowsill; the stained glass window pushed open letting the fresh night air fill the room. She stared over the expanse of the Labyrinth, a feeling of awe washing over her. Of course she had seen the Labyrinth before, many times, from both above and in it, but never had she seen it at night in the underground, with the stars shining bright above. The Labyrinth it's self seemed to glow with a soft light, barely visible, but it was there, emitting off the stone maze in a soft shimmery glow. A sudden knock on the door broke her from her reverie.

"Sarah?" Called a muffled voice through the door. "Are you awake?" She smiled lightly, turning head towards the knocking, her hair falling over a shoulder.

"Yeah," she called in return and turned back towards the view. It was a simple reply, but she knew he didn't need any other reason to come bursting through the door, and of course he did just that, a cape wrapped around his shoulders and another in his hand.

"Here. You'll need this. The Labyrinth gets chilly at night." He tossed the velvet cape to her, the fabric landing in a thud across her lap.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked, laughing awkwardly while she watched him grin giddily, like a child in a candy store. "You are so strange." He didn't take the time to answer her, just grabbed her arm and pulled her from the window, standing her upright. Sarah grabbed the cloak, wrapping it around her own shoulders. It was comfortable and warm, and felt like being hugged. It was far too long for her, and smelled of leather and spices; obviously it had come from his closet—Not that she minded. She watched him curiously as he pushed open the balcony doors, walking purposely onto the stone platform. She followed behind him briskly, trying to keep up with his long energetic strides. "Were are we going?"

"You'll see," He said, a secret smile playing on his thin lips. He looked over the balcony, contemplating momentarily before swinging his legs over the ledge, sitting on top of the banister. Sarah rushed to the banister, watching as he fell to the ground, managing to land gracefully on his feet. "Your turn," He said looking up at her with a sort of challenging smirk.

Sarah leaned further over the banister, the light breeze tossing her hair about her shoulders and face. She looked to the wall of the castle, almost counting the number of stones from the ground, eyeing the distance nervously

"How strong is that Ivy?"

"Not strong enough to climb," he laughed, motioning her again to jump. "I won't let you fall Sarah, you have nothing to worry about." He watched her carefully, noticing the worry crossing her face. "You can trust me Sarah," He said quietly, his voice barely audible.

She watched from above, in turn noticing the tiny quirks in his face and the intensity in his eyes when he spoke. He stood straight, staring up at her from he ground, his flaxen hair caught in the slight breeze. She tightened her grip on the railing, staring back wide eyed at his own intense stare. In that moment he looked like every bit of the king he was. She nodded mutely and hoisted herself up on top of the railing, swinging her legs over one by one. She sucked in a breath and counted to 3 in her head, and pushed herself off the balcony railing.

She shut her eyes tight, holding her breath in her throat as she fell, waiting for either the hard ground or his strong arms to catch her. It was easy to say that she preferred the later. The thought brought new butterflies to her stomach. Something was strange, she noted thoughtfully. She should have landed in one way or another by now. Slowly, Sarah opened her eyes, her eyelashes veiling her emerald orbs momentarily, before she went wide eyed, gasping audibly. Her hair and cape were being thrashed about her falling form as if she were falling full speed, yet she fell slowly, floating through the air like a feather, or a leaf caught in the breeze. A memory pushed it's way into her mind; falling after she destroyed the crystal ball during her first trip to the Labyrinth-- She had fallen the same exact way... He didn't let her fall then either she realized, suddenly laughing giddily and literally floated into Jareth's waiting arms.

"I told you I wouldn't let you fall," He said softly, his voice dropping to low octaves, something else edging it's way in, something barely tangible pushing it's way through a veil. Instinctively her arms came up to clutch the fabric of his shirt, one hand wrapped around his neck to keep her balanced in his grasp.

Sarah smiled lightly for a second as she felt the hairs on his neck stand up on end, causing him to draw in a breath quickly. Her face fell quickly though as flicked her eyes across his face, searching for a reaction other than a quick intake of breath. There it was-- his brows furrowed ever so slightly, his lips parted and lightly turned down in concentration while his eyes burned and swirled with something so strong and overwhelming it kept her from breathing-- it was the same expression that had burned it's way into her memory, haunting her for these past years.

"Jareth," She said, her voice gone dry. His brows lifted in acknowledgment. She smiled, her eyes squinting lightly as she did so, as if she were laughing. "You can put me down now."

He almost fell over as the words reached his ears, and put her down gently and quickly.

"Yes, of course," He cleared his throat turning away from her. He cursed mentally and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" He turned back towards her, forcing himself to smile. "C'mon, let's go!" He grabbed her hand, instinctively lacing his fingers with hers and pulled her along with him as he moved quickly, guiding her into the hedge maze.

"Where are--" Jareth turned abruptly, putting a gloved finger to her mouth to silence her, making a soft shushing sound. She gave a slightly exasperated sigh, following close behind him by a step. She didn't really pay attention to where they were going; she was more intrigued by his strange behavior. There was something different about him today... he seemed nervous and intense, like there was something else on his mind. Not to mention the way he was acting around her. He for once was showering her with gifts and gratitude, rather than flirting shamelessly-- now he was even holding her hand! She shivered lightly, her eyes drawing to their entwined fingers, his leather-clad thumb gently caressing the bare skin of her hand.

"Sarah," he called her name, effectively pulling her away from her thoughts. She was about to reply, but found that she was speechless. "Do you like it?" He asked quietly, moving behind her to wrap an arm around her waist. She nodded lightly, looking about at the sight before her.

They were in what looked like a glade, with a small lake and waterfall, coming from seemingly nowhere. Small platforms of stone and earth floated in the air, almost like stepping stones, and glowing white-silver flowers grew everywhere in clusters with glittering pollen floating about the buds, waving back and forth in the field surrounding the lake. Huge shards of silvery rainbow crystals jutted from the ground in places, and old ruins, perhaps old parts of the maze covered in ivy lay scattered about the clearing sporadically.

"What is this place?" She asked, feeling almost weak in the presence of such a fantastical place. She could feel the magic that pulsed through the place.

"It's my sanctuary," He replied, his voice turning low again. "Until you, there has never been another being to enter this place. I created it to escape and to channel my magic somewhere else so it didn't control me."

"You made this?" She gasped, her eyes going even wider. She felt him nod and rest his chin on the top of her head.

"My power is raw and mostly untamed-- the most powerful kind. Many creatures in the underground, even other Fae have lost their power or have had it diluted. They didn't know how to properly use it and hold onto it, rather than expending it. The magic I have, as you can see, is more than your average glamour and parlor tricks-- it's ancient magic. The Goblin Kingdom is one of the founding Kingdoms from before the Faerie folk were banished and sent underground. I am a direct descendant of the Tuatha de annon." He heard her gasp lightly. "I take it you're familiar with the legends?"

"My graduate thesis is on the original folk that were banished from Ireland-- I'm very familiar with the legends." She leaned back into his chest lightly, a little awe struck from the surroundings and his family history.

"I wanted to share it with you." He spoke softly into her hair, his arms still wrapped around her waist possessively and added with a laugh "If there was ever a person I'd like to invade my personal space, it's you."

"Thank you," She whispered laughing lightly and turned in his grasp to hug him in return. "Are you alright?" She asked after a moment. "You've been acting weird all day." He laughed dryly, the chuckle rumbling in his chest.

"You make me do crazy things precious."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She coaxed, turning her head upwards to meet his gaze. He smirked lightly, his mismatched eyes twinkling.

"Maybe I'll tell you, but perhaps I want to be 'cryptic' as you tend to call me time and again."

"That's not fair," She said with a pout, pushing away from his chest lightly. He laughed in response, purposely falling backwards, Sarah still in his arms. He laughed more when she shrieked as she fell, landing on top of his chest with a hard thud, the glittering pollen spreading out like a cloud around them.

"I thought that phrase was banned from your vocabulary."

"Bite me," She glared at him, wiggling out of his grasp.

"Sarah, dear, we had this conversation already. What with the vampires and your biting fetish." He grinned at her, purposely showing off his pointed canines.

"I don't have a biting fetish," She grumbled, pulling off the velvet cape and dumping it on the ground. She made her way over to one of the floating stones and mounted it, climbing up the floating platforms.

He watched her, her body glistening from the shimmering pollen as she moved. After a moment he pushed himself up from his spot in the field, unlatching his cape and bounded off after her, jumping gracefully from step to step in long strides.

"Show off!" She teased, sticking her tongue out at him as he raced ahead of her. He grinned and gave her a mock bow. He picked a silver flower and moved to the lower ledge where Sarah still stood and moved to her side.

"May I?" He asked, holding up the flower, a crooked smile playing on his lips. She smiled back, looking away bashfully for a moment, a blush rising to her cheeks. Gently he brushed the hair away from her face and slipped the flower behind her ear, weaving it into her brunette locks. Sarah chewed on her lip lightly, her eyes meeting his. She leaned up on her toes, their faces mere inches away.

"You want to kiss me, don't you?"

"Don't taunt me Sarah," He replied, yearning evident in his voice. He stepped closer, putting a hand on her waist, pulling her closer. His other hand came up to cup her face, caressing the skin gently. "May I?" Sarah went wide-eyed momentarily, then threw her arms around his neck and crushed her lips to his. Jareth didn't need any more incentive. He kissed back furiously, pulling her tight against him. She whimpered, deepening the kiss, her fingers entangling themselves in his hair. He ended the kiss, pulling away slowly, his lips hovering above hers. He pulled back ever so slightly, seeing her hair tousled, lips puffed and slightly parted and smiled, stoking her cheek gently. Slowly a smile appeared on her lips, followed by a laugh. She placed another quick kiss upon his lips then ducked out of his grasp, leaping down the floating platforms shouting behind her.

"Catch me if you can, Goblin King!"

Jareth stalled, staring after in with a lopsided grin before chasing after her once more. She ran towards the field, grabbing the cloak from the ground where she had left it earlier, twirling it about herself in circles. He laughed, quickly scooping her into his arms and spinning her in a circle.

"Caught you."

* * *

Cute right? :)


	5.  ˈglɪtəri glituhree

The comments this time around made me giggle. Thanks guys!

Fantasy mistress 143- Well, brush away my dear! Didn't think Jareth could be romantic did you? :P

everyone who wrote: aww, or too cute—get it out of your system now—Their relationship is bipolar as hell. :P

* * *

Sarah woke the next morning to the sunshine glaring through the stained glass windows, casting rainbows across the room and her.

"Crap," She mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes, realizing that she had forgotten to close the curtains on the way in the night before. She lips split into a smile as she thought of the nice before, pulling the covers up to her mouth. She replayed the events in her head, from when he came knocking on her door to the soul-searing kiss they shared in the glade… It had been something straight out of a fairytale. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on his shoulder after a few hours of talking. He must have carried her back she realized and giggled girlishly. She sat up in bed and stretched, scanning the room quickly. The cloak he had lent her the night before lay folded on the vanity chair, still covered in glittery pollen. On top of the cloak lay the silver flower as well as a small metal object and a note. Curious, she pushed her way out of bed and padded over to the chair, scooping up the various objects from the seat, allowing space for her to sit down.

The metal object she saw was actually a small key no bigger than her thumb dangling from a long thin chain, with a small crystal in the center of the metalwork. It gave off a faint glow while opalescent smoke swirled inside the marble-sized crystal. She examined it closely, taking notice to the tiny details in the metal work. The top of the key was made to look like a circular maze, and in the center was the familiar triangular crescent shape—the Labyrinth insignia that always adorned Jareth in one way or another. She placed the key around her neck and opened the folded piece of paper, hoping it would explain in some way.

"Dear Sarah," She began reading, admiring the swirled and elongated script. "This key will allow you to travel the Labyrinth with ease. Tell it where you want to go and a Path will open for you. Jareth." She looked at the parchment, flipping it over as if to look for something else, but only that was there.

"Lady Sarah!" A shrill voice called as the large door to her room came bursting open. A short pudgy Dwarven woman hobbled into the room, pushing a tray of food, and a dress in her arms. "Oh good, you're awake!"

Sarah watched the pudgy woman, a dumbfounded expression crossing her face.

"Hello Ginny," She greeted her, recognizing her from the fitting the day before. "Is it time already?"  
The Drawf gave a shrill chuckle, waving her hand emphatically at Sarah.

"Oh no no no dear, no fitting today," She replied, pulling her out of the chair by the vanity. "Come on, you have to bathe and dress." She shoved her into an adjacent room and turned the handles on the large marble tub. The room quickly began to fill with steam. "Come on, come on! Off with the clothes!" She pulled a stool over to Sarah briskly, pulling her shirt over her head quickly.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Sarah protested, covering her chest quickly.

"Now, now, no need to be embarrassed Lady," She said calmly, tugging at her pants. "Into the tub you go!" She spoke way to cheerfully for Sarah's liking and began pushing her towards the tub. Sarah shrieked and fell into the tub, her legs sticking over the side awkwardly.

"Ow." She winced, rubbing her side where she fell.

"Quit your whining," Ginny hit her playfully across the top of her head and proceeded to pull her back by her hair, dumping a bucket of water on her. "You can relax dear," She continued to say, pouring lavender scented shampoo into her hair, scrubbing furiously. Sarah did, reluctantly, and let the seamstress and maid tend to her locks.

"I could get used to this," She thought, sighing lightly and sunk further into the warm water. Ginny tended to her long hair, washing out the soap and brushing out the tangles. She dressed Sarah's hair with scented oils to keep it shiny and towel dried it.

"There—All done!" She said, standing up suddenly. "There is breakfast on the tray for you. Now, I'll be on my way, but should you need me—" Sarah interrupted her, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

"I'll call" Ginny gave her a motherly smile and left the room, closing the large doors to the bathroom

She soaked in the marble tub until the water was cloudy from the soap and her fingers began to turn pruney. She left the water, quickly drying off so she didn't slip on the polished floors. She dressed quickly, putting on a lose pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror, scrunching her nose at her mirror image. She looked… Plain. Plain Jeans, plain shirt, and pin straight brown hair--though whatever Ginny put in it made it gleam—everything about her reflection seemed plain. Before Sarah even realized what she was doing, she had dumped all of the clothes she brought onto the ground, looking for something mildly interesting. Sarah ripped through the pile of clothing pulling out dresses, jeans, tops, skirts, realizing how haphazardly she had packed her bag.

"Damn it," She hissed, staring at the now scattered clothing. She needed something pretty, something that crossed between worlds well, but also casual... A resourceful smile curled across her lips as an article of clothing crossed her vision. It was odd to see it; she hadn't worn it in quite a few years since high school actually. She must've grabbed it by accident while undergoing her packing marathon the day before, but it didn't matter. It was perfect.

It was an old vintage cotton sundress she had picked up from a consignment shop in a dusty pale antique pink color. It buttoned completely down the front and had cream lace detailing and light embroidery. It fell just bellow her mid thigh so it was short enough to be young, but long enough to not be slutty. Sarah pondered for a moment, wandering if it mattered. She was currently in an anachronistic world perpetually stuck in the middle ages. It was like constantly being at the renaissance faire. The fact that she was showing an ankle was scandalous enough.

"Screw it," She thought, smoothing the dress over her sides, surprised it still fit her well. It fit remarkably different than when she had purchased the garment. It had been lose fitting originally, but now, it clung almost criminally to her curves, flaring only slightly at the hips. The top of the dress was a sweet heart halter cut, dipping low enough to show off some cleavage. She looked over herself in the mirror again, grinning madly, remembering how much fun it was to dress up once in a while. She smudged her eye lightly; fixing an eyelash that had gotten out of place trying not to mess up her makeup in the process. It wasn't drastic, just a light shimmery pink shadow that made her eyes pop, but she wanted it to be perfect. That's when it hit her.

"Good god," She said aloud, taking a step back. Was it too much? Was she really trying to impress the Goblin King? "Come on Sarah," She scolded herself. "It was just a kiss!"

"_A kiss_?" her head said back. "More like 13-- and yes, you did count."

"Thirteen. Seriously?" She grumbled and ran a hand through her hair. "Why is it ALWAYS thirteen? I'm so going to kick his ass later."

"No you won't. Not unless you're going to use it as an excuse to kiss his 'boo boos'," Sarah swore her head wagged its eyebrows at her. She blushed furiously, cursing her subconscious while taking a bite into a piece of now cold buttered toast.

"How did you make boo boos sound sexual?" she mumbled with a mouth full of toast, taking a sip of the juice. Sarah took one last bite and left the room, leaving most of the food untouched. Sarah had come to know the castle quite well over the years and was able to navigate the halls with ease. She hummed lightly as she made her way over to the throne room where she knew Jareth would be, twisting the small key pendent in her fingers. It was no surprise he seemed to be in such a foul mood most of the time. His days were long, having to get up early and retire late, and on rare occasions, having to deal with problems in the middle of the night. Today was no exception. As she approached the large double doors to the throne room she heard muffled voices. She pitied him for having to deal with citizens so early in the day. She hurried to the door and peered through the crack in the doors.

"Sire, the report is rather... disturbing."

"Oh really? What makes it so unusual? Enlighten us." Sarah heard Jareth reply dryly, and stifled a giggle. She could see him lounging across the throne, looking even more bored and petulant than usually so.

She looked between him and the scout curiously. He looked very upset to say the least.

"Well, the previous nights watch reported rumbling from far off in the distance, accompanied by a large dust cloud that even spread to part of the Fiery forest." Jareth shifted, quickly sitting up in the throne. "Early this morning we received a small group of what we first thought were exiles from another kingdom. They were in fact refugees from a small town 50 miles south of the Firey forest by the name of Arden. They are under the countries--"

"Yes, We are aware Arden is a part of our country. Get on with it!" Jareth interrupted, snapping angrily. He no longer looked bored or put upon, but rather addled by what the Scout was saying. Despite how uneasy he seemed, he managed to maintain his kingly appearance, including the use of the royal We.

"They told us that their town suddenly collapsed, like an earthquake, but the ground gave way and everything fell into a giant sink hole. Only a few people escaped that fate. They requested refuge in the City." The scout stood straight and still, though he was obviously scared of the King's reaction as the paper in his hands was trembling. Jareth gave a shaky sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, losing his composure.

"Damn it."

"Sire?"

"Who was among them-- men, women, children? Any families?"

"6 men, 7 woman, and 3 children-- no babes. There is only one couple, and none of the children belong to them. They are willing to adopt one of them, they have family here and gratefully are not in need of our assistance."

"The children should be taken to the nursery, the woman may be offered various positions around the castle or the taverns in the city. The men are welcome to enlist or undergo an apprenticeship…" Jareth hung his head slightly, looking forlorn. "I wish there was more I could do." The scout looked surprised at the king's sudden informal nature. "I will be a long later to make sure everything goes to plan. In the meantime, gather a group of soldiers. We will be going to examine the damage ourselves later on. You are dismissed." The scout bowed and scattered from the room quickly, running off to presumably relate what the King had told him to his higher authority. Sarah moved to leave from her spot behind the door, deciding Jareth needed his solitude for the time being, but she was stopped as she went to withdraw.

"Sarah, I know you're there." Sarah turned around just as the doors opened, seemingly on their own. She chewed on her lip for a moment before entering the throne room slowly, twisting her hands in front of her nervously.

She stood off to the side, fidgeting nervously. Jareth didn't seem to notice. He was in fact pre-occupied with the floor. He looked forlorn, and quite upset, which was understandable considering what was just thrust upon him. She had never seen him like this before and she didn't know what to do.

"I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop," She blurted out, stuttering a bit. He shook his head lightly, his feathery hair brushing his shoulders.

"It's alright Sarah." She watched him for a moment, realizing how much it pained her to see him so troubled. She wandered closer to his side, wishing she could do something to help.

"Is there anything I can do?"  
He laughed bitterly. He didn't mean to. He knew she meant well, but what could a human girl do?

Jareth found himself regretting the thought as soon as it crossed his mind, cursing under his breath. He knew better than anyone of her ability. She was strong willed and thoughtful in ways that always seemed to amaze him.

"No. This is just another disaster I have to take care of. Being King is not an easy job...Just, stay out of trouble." His voice was low and gruff. Sarah winced. She tried not to take it to heart-- he was obviously going through a rough time, but it hurt nonetheless. "I don't want to have to worry about you too." He turned soft, lifting his head for the first time. A soft sad smile played on his lips, and his mismatched eyes looked pale and weary.

"When will you be back?"

"I'll be lucky if I return tonight at all." Sarah nodded slowly, her mouth forming a small 'o'. "Tell you what. If you're bored, why don't you teach someone in the kitchen to make those fantastic cookies of yours."

"Hell no," She snorted in a rather unladylike like fashion. "My recipe. But I'll tell you something, when you come back, I will personally go down there and make you cookies to celebrate your safe return. Chocolate chip cookies for my valiant knight." He chuckled genuinely, his eyes taking on more life. "Sarah, a few thousand people have just lost their lives, and you're making jokes!" He said incredulously, fighting back the laughter coursing through his body.

"You're the one laughing!" She said mock accusingly. "Come on. Don't fight it!" She wagged her eyebrows at him, the silly gesture pushing him over the edge. He laughed heartily, throwing his head back, the melodic sound of his amusement ringing off the throne room walls. His laughter was infectious, and soon she was laughing. They laughed with each other for a minute, their mirth dwindling after a bit.

"There," Sarah said after a minute, wiping a tear from her eye. "Laughter is the best medicine, and you're going to need your strength." Jareth smiled lightly, grabbing one of her hands and lifted it to his lips.

"Thank you," He said, his words mumbled against her skin. Sarah shivered and tried very hard to appear unaffected. She sucked in a breath, holding it there and concentrated on keeping her knees from buckling. Despite her best efforts, he felt her shiver and stiffen, and a smile curled across his lips. He dropped her hand, brushing his leather-clad fingers across her flesh. "I had originally planned to take Toby and yourself on a picnic today, but my plans have changed rather abruptly. Why don't you take Toby, and then we can go another time." He paused for Dramatic effect. "Just the two of us."

Jareth watched her carefully, observing as her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened. The shock written on her face didn't last long though, and instead a sly smile spread across her face.

"Is the Goblin King asking me out on a date?" She asked, a little suspicious, peering at him through squinted eyes almost accusingly, while her arms found themselves on his shoulders.

"Yes, the Goblin King is being humble for once and asking his lady out on a date. Forgive me for being modest." He admonished theatrically, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Wouldest thou grace me wist thine presence?" Sarah smiled bashfully, laughing quietly at his mock Shakespearean language.

"Alright. I'll go on a date with you." Jareth grinned, containing the urge to shout and do the Jig. Instead he swooped down for a kiss.

"Not uh," Sarah ducked out of his arms and put a finger to his lips effectively stopping him. He looked confused, his brow furrowed, eyes slightly widened, and of course his lips still puckered lightly. The whole image together made him look like something akin to a fish. Sarah grinned, looking at him through a veil of lashes and said teasingly, "That'll be your reward for returning victorious."Jareth straightened and blinked a few times, watching her retreat.

"I'm not going to slay a dragon!" He called after her.

"Then find one to slay!" She called back and turned, walking backwards away from him. He shook his head and smiled crookedly, giving her a mock bow and a flourish of his hand.

"Then I shant return until the Dragon is dead!"

Later that day Sarah lay on a large picnic blanket in a golden field somewhere amidst the Labyrinth's walls with her brother and her friends. She stared up at the sky calmly, her arms crossed behind her head. Nearby Ludo had fallen asleep, providing to be a rather comfortable pillow for Toby.

"You did what?" Hoggle shouted, jumping to his feet.

"Hoggle! Shhh! You'll wake Toby!" She ignored his outburst, rolling her eyes at his theatrics. "I knew you would react this way."

"Well of course I would! You kissed him! You kissed Jareth!"

"Multiple times." She said with a grin, partially due to the memories, partially due to the breakdown Hoggle was currently having.

"Your mouth needs to be washed out with soap little lady!" He scolded, and immediately began rummaging though his sac. Sarah sat up amused, watching him.

"Are you really looking for soap?"

"Yes!" He shouted gruffly. Sarah laughed, turning to Sir Dydimus who had piped up.

"I think it's wonderful! It's high time that they both acknowledge their feelings for one another." The little fox goblin trotted over, placing a paw on his friends shoulder to calm his antics. Hoggle did calm, but continued to fume quietly.

"And what 'feelings' would those be?" Sarah challenged him, finding that her friends varying enthusiasm and reactions amusing.

"Why Love of course! I can hear the bells already!" Dydimus exclaimed and began dancing, singing 'Here comes the Bride'.

"You are getting way ahead of yourself my dear knight," She said sardonically, bopping him on the nose.

"Sarah Queen," A deep gruff voice chimed in. Sarah twisted around, looking accusingly at the hairy beast.

"You're supposed to be sleeping you sneak! You're not helping either!" Ludo just grinned and chortled dumbly, and went back to his nap, Toby still dead asleep in his arms. Sarah looked off into the distance, the edges of the Firey Forest visible in the horizon.

"I wonder —What is that?" A loud rumbling that intensely shook the field interrupted Sarah. Alarmed, they all stood alert and Toby woke up, beginning to panic. Seconds after the rumbling Started, Jareth appeared before then, clad head to toe in armor. He looked stricken and pale, and there was sweat upon his brow.

"All of you! Get back to the Castle, now!" He commanded gruffly. There was no room for an argument. Immediately they began to assemble, well all but Sarah who approached him quickly, worried out of her mind.

"Jareth! You look awful! What's going on?" She cupped his face, pushing hair that had stuck to his brow from his forehead.

"I'll be alright. Please, go back to the Castle where it's safe!"

"But Jareth—"

"Go!" He commanded, grabbing the key pendant dangling from the chain. "To the Castle!" He said to it. A film seemed to appear in the air, shimmering oddly before it opened a whole in the air around then, leading them directly into the hallways of the Castle. Hoggle didn't need any more direction. He took off immediately, and was quickly followed by Dydimus and Ludo who was carrying Toby.

"Go. I'll be alright." Jareth said softly, trying to reassure them both. Quickly, he swooped down and captured her lips, tipping her backwards while she clung on to the collar of his cape as the kiss became more passionate rather quickly. The kiss ended as quickly as it began and he almost pushed her through the open portal, which closed behind her when she was safely through the window. Sarah was left staring dumbly at the place the portal had just been, her mouth hanging slightly agape. She licked her lips, gathering her thoughts slowly and began to fume.

"That arrogant son of a bitch!" She shouted, "Who the hell does he think he is, swooping in like that like, acting like he's my knight in shiny sparkly glittery armor? Bastard stole a kiss! He stole a kiss!" Sarah ranted and stalked off to her room, grumbling the entire way.

"They're a perfect match," Sir Dydimus said pleasantly.

* * *

Next chapter will have the Ball! And what fun would a Ball be without a ton of Drama? :DDDDD

* * *


	6. Singed a little Real chapter 6!

Get your tooth paste-- If you plan on reading the rest of this fanfic, which you have no excuse to not do so if you have been reading, you WILL get cavities.

* * *

The next few days were almost painful Sarah decided. It felt like time had stopped, even though her days were filled with craziness-fittings for another god -awful marshmallow monstrosity that Jareth seemed rather fond of dressing her up in. At least this one looked like it belonged there and not a bad 80's wedding dress. Sarah snickered, remembering the sugar-spun gown she had worn in the peach dream. The distraction lasted only momentarily, and her mind drifted back to Jareth and his well being. The image of him appearing in the wheat fields just a few days ago pushed forth into her mind forcefully, pain and agony written all over his face. He looked sick and almost battle worn, but they had gone on a rescue mission, not to fight off a dragon, despite their joking.

For now, it seemed the obvious danger was gone. There hadn't been any more tremors, reported by Hoggle, Sir Dydimus and Ludo, but as per a warning from Hoggle she didn't go outside of the city with out any of them. So she ended up spending her free time exploring the eccentric city with Toby, and venturing in the vast wonderland like gardens of the castle, which was currently where she resided.

She sat lopsided against the siding of a stone bench in a secluded clearing, encircled by roses. A breeze flooded the area, making her shiver, and she pulled the loose fitting poet's shirt tighter around her torso, wishing she had something other than a brown leather vest to go with it. She smiled inwardly, realizing he had been spending way too much time either worrying about or spending time with Jareth, because he had begun to effect her style of dress. Poet shirts and leather was his thing—not hers! Unfortunately, the realization of the similarities between hers and the Goblin King's wardrobe was not going to stop the chill, so she decided it was best to move inside. However, before she could move the sound of heavy boots caught her attention. Her head shot up in the direction of the sound, her chocolate hair fanning out around her as her head spun around. The source of the sound was none other than Jareth himself, who looked incredibly battle worn, much more than he had the days before.

He stood slumped against a pillar, as if it was his only form of support. His skin had a sickly pale pallor, streaked with dirt and what looked like soot in a few places, and his face had a surprising amount of stubble. His hair was shortened in places, looking like it had been singed, which matched the soot appearance. Sarah stared at him momentarily, taking in the image of the Goblin King looking weather beaten and disheveled and strangely sexy in his grungy demeanor. Without any warning Sarah burst into laughter and ran to him, hugging him tightly and showering him with a plethora of kisses automatically. She stopped, realizing what she was doing and pulled back, trying to cover her tracks.

"You're okay! You worried me to no end!" She chastised, hitting him playfully against his armor. He smiled weakly, breathing out a quiet laugh that sounded more like a sigh and rested his chin on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her weakly. "You look awful Jareth! What happened?" She took a slight step back, peering into his tired eyes. Carefully she pushed the hair from his face, wiping off the dirt and soot from his forehead and cheeks, a crooked grin crossing her lips as a light brushing sound came off of his stubble.

"I slayed a Dragon." He stated flatly, a small smile tugging at his lips as Sarah brushed the dry dirt from his face.

"By the way you look, I'd believe it." She said with a small laugh. "Seriously though, what happened over there?"

"I was being serious Sarah." Sarah's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline. "I believe you owe me a kiss M'lady." Sarah smiled and laughed.

"After you explain to me what happened!"

"Well, you know about the chasm. When we reached our destination, we realized the problem was much more serious than any old Chasm. It was in fact a Dwarven Iron mine that had collapsed. As it turned out, the Dwarves who were mining had mined into a Dragons cave, angering them. The Dragons living there had the Dwarves for brunch and rampaged through the caverns, causing them to collapse. The Dragon got trapped in the chasm where the town of Arden was, or rather trapped in its debris. The worst part was that the dust from the collapse spread iron powder. There was Iron covering everything with in the area! I, having a high Iron tolerance had to go survey the damage, and even that was bad enough for me. I've been sick for days. Some of the soldiers are incredibly ill, they'll be lucky if they live." Jareth paused, taking a deep inhale of breath. Sarah meanwhile stared at him dumbfounded, amazed at the crazy story.

"So, what happened with the Dragon?" She asked, egging the story on.

"Ah! Well, the Dragon stuck in the whole was extremely angry and was thrashing around, which is what was causing the tremors. We had to go into the hole and kill it, which took nearly 15 men to do so. No one was seriously hurt, thrown around a few times, and perhaps singed a bit, but no one was beyond repair. I believe my hair took the most damage." He added the last bit with a cheeky grin, puffing his chest like a rooster.

"Yeah, that needs to be fixed." She said, suppressing a giggle as she wove her fingers into the now very uneven tresses.

"Do I get my kiss now?" He asked, adding a pout for effect and leaned his forehead against hers. Sarah laughed, and kissed him full on the lips. Jareth was surprised—he had expected a quick soft kiss, as Sarah still seemed fairly shy romantically, but this kiss was deep and passionate. Jareth pulled her tighter, deepening the kiss. Sarah whimpered, her hands sliding from his hair to his neck, and Jareth suppressed a groan, both cursing the hard-shelled armor and thankful for it's existence. Reluctantly he ended the kiss, savoring the taste of her lips still lingering on his. Sarah licked her lips; her eyes opening slowly to peer up at him and began to speak.

"Is that a sword, or are you just happy to see me?" She asked cheekily, her tone mildly provocative. Jareth blinked a few times in rapid succession, grinning lopsidedly at the use of the badly butchered pick up line. He began to snicker, biting his lip to stall the onset of his chuckling, but to no avail, and skipped right through the process straight to side-splitting hilarity.

"Sarah, if there were ever a person in the world to be deemed 'unfair', it would be you my dear! I can't even try to be romantic," He protested, holding himself against the stone pillar all the while wracked with laughter. Sarah clasped her hands behind her back, swinging around lightly, attempting to look innocent. After a moment she turned serious again, cocking her head to the side lightly.

"Jareth, you try too hard, actually." A small distant smile broke onto her lips. "If for some crazy reason, the King of the Goblins really did fall in love with the Girl," Jareth smiled at the reference to their past and listened carefully to what she was saying, "Then you don't need to change for me, and I don't need you to be prince charming to come sweep me off my feet all the time."

Jareth watched her carefully, her emerald eyes sparkling with something secret, and just for that moment time between them seemed to slow. How incredible the last year had been for him, reconnecting with Sarah, kindling a friendship and until now, suppressing more. There had been rarely a day that the defiant young girl hadn't crossed his mind in the years before as well.

"Ah! Your Highness, There you are!" A willowy voice called from nearby, followed by its keeper; a tall withered goblin, obviously bread from purer blood and intelligence. He was dressed in long blue robes and carried various pouches and small bottles on a belt at his waist, and hobbled along on a cane. He was obviously the Castle's healer. Jareth groaned, nearly whining, throwing his head back rather petulantly.

"How do they always manage to find me?" He rubbed his temples dramatically, and Sarah giggled, putting her hand to her mouth girlishly. "I told the Captain I didn't need a healers assistance," He turned and said surly to the old lanky goblin man.

"Nonsense! With all due respect Majesty, you look terrible. You're to come with me at once, and we will fix you up," He nodded his head, catching sight of Jareth's hair. "Including your hair Majesty."

"Yes, of course," Jareth replied dryly. "I'll be just a minute then. You may leave." The healer gave a wrinkled smile and hobbled away, and Jareth gave an aggravated sigh. He turned to Sarah who just shrugged.

"Just go, it'll be so much easier if you let them worry now and realize there is nothing wrong, than worrying for weeks that you'll drop dead of Iron poisoning."

"Fine," he said with an immature huff, then added quickly before Sarah could say anything. "But tonight we're going on that picnic. No questions asked."

"Tonight?" It was well into the evening hours, and the sun had already set, leaving the moon to hang low in the sky.

"I said no questions asked!" He wagged a finger at her. "Besides, tonight is your last night here. I believe you said the electricity in your abode would return this coming Thursday."

"It's been a week already?" Jareth nodded simply. She grumbled, thinking about her life that was currently on hold, realizing how much she didn't want to leave this place. She snapped herself out of her slump quickly hoping he hadn't noticed her brief melancholy. "Alright. Go get your boo-boos kissed, and then we'll go on our midnight picnic." Jareth a dry chuckle and a tired smile, and held out his arm for her. Sarah linked her arm with his, and giggled girlishly at the chivalrous gesture.

"By the way Sarah, I never did get to tell you how pretty you looked in that pink dress," He held her at arms length as they entered a the doors from the gardens, admiring the blush that appeared on her cheeks. "I'll see you in a bit." With that lat bit said he turned on his heels and headed towards the infirmary, his cloak swirling behind him.

-

Sarah hummed softly as she brushed her hair out at the vanity until it was returned to its former thick and shiny mane. She carefully dabbed some sweet pea fragrance on her wrists and behind her ears, and stood up to examine her appearance. It didn't look like she had done much, but it took her a good half an hour to pick something to wear.

She laughed to her self-thinking, "Hey, I'm a girl. It's what we do," all the while scrutinizing her appearance. She was wearing the same white eyelet dress she had worn about a year ago when they reunited over cookies just after the oubliette incident. She smirked lopsidedly at her reflection, enjoying the almost mocking overtone the otherwise innocent looking dress held. A knock came from the door, interrupting her preening.

"Yes?" She called, slightly exasperated, fully expecting Jareth to come bursting through the door like he had before.

"Lady Sarah, His Majesty has requested that you join him in the Gardens for Dinner." The voice said, muffled through the door. Sarah laughed, realizing he had sent Ginny to fetch her.

"Ginny, I'm not quite ready, but you can come in. You don't have to stand out there." Sarah turned back to the vanity adding a bit of blush to her complexion, and sweeping a rose pink eye shadow across her lids.

Ginny padded into the room, and gasped comically, rushing over to Sarah.

"Lady Sarah!" She said almost accusingly. "You can't wear that!" She waved her hands in the air, pulling Sarah from her seat with surprising strength for such a stout woman. Sarah stumbled, swallowed the myriad of curses piling in her mouth.

"Is there something wrong with it?" She asked, looking confused.

"Oh, no no, it's a nice dress, but a it's not a proper dining dress." Ginny replied with a nod, and then held up a garment she had been carrying with her. "This is a proper dining dress. Now go put it on! And be quick about it-- don't keep his majesty waiting!" Ginny pushed Sarah towards the accordion dressing shade once again with a force that didn't belong to someone so small and homely.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Sarah grumbled, quickly going behind the shade. Sarah pulled off her sundress and held the new one up to her, looking at her reflection in the standing mirror. She had to admit, the dress was beautiful. It was a deep emerald green velvet with a ballet neck that went mostly off the shoulders, accompanied by puffed sleeves. It had some light gold colored stitching and embroidery, matching the panels in the puffed sleeves and scalloped edge of the neckline. "Thank god for strapless bras," She mumbled, untying the laced back and stepped in it. "Ginny, did Jareth set you up to this?" She asked warily, stepping out from behind the curtain.

"What? Oh, no! Not at all. I did. You need clothes befitting of a lady." She nodded sharply, stepping up on a stool to lace the back of the dress.

"And a Lady's clothes are supposed to way 20 pounds why?" She whined. At least the dress code wasn't 'Corset Required'.

"You should get used to it Sarah," She said, sounding like a mother scolding a child. Sarah bit her lip to keep from laughing. She paused and let Ginny finish lacing the dress as the words whirled around in her head.

"You do know I'm not staying, right?" Ginny finished tying the laces at that moment, yanking rather hard on the strings bow.

"Why ever not! Aren't you his Majesty's intended?" Sarah gulped, stilling the butterflies swarming in her stomach.

"I don't know," She replied quietly. "We were friends, and now everything is so... complicated."

"Dear, love is complicated." The drawing woman looked up at Sarah sympathetically and patted her hand in attempt to comfort the young woman. "Now go, you're already late!"

Sarah walked the halls of the castle, nearing closer to the garden doors, trying hard to maintain her composure. She felt overdressed, overwhelmed, and nervous beyond belief for reasons she couldn't even begin to fathom. It was only a date; she had been on many dates in the past.

"Yeah, but not with the Goblin King, the man you've been comparing everyone else too since you were 15," Her mind supplied flatly, as if it was obvious. Though, it was a good point. With that in mind, She took a deep breath and held her head high, as if she herself were marching into war, and strolled into the Garden as if it was nothing at all, thanks to her acting abilities.

"What is it about woman that makes it in their nature to be 'fashionably late' for everything?"

Jareth lay sprawled across one of the benches, feet nearest Sarah. His head hung over the edge of one arm rest and he lazily twirled a crystal around his fingers. He had bathed and changed, wearing comfortable clothes. He wore black leggings and his usual boots, accompanied by a loose fitting poet's shirt laying open as usual, surprisingly without the extra frill, just the wrist ruffle, and a black leather waist sash.

"It's Ginny's fault. She made me change. Said something about me needing more ladylike and appropriate clothes… She apparently has personally seen to it that I have an entire wardrobe of dresses fit for a princess," She gave a small nervous laugh, clasping her hands together. Jareth seemed to pause and willed away the crystal in his hand, then sat up to look at her. His gaze widened when he caught eye of her, his jaw dropping slightly. Sarah gave an embarrassed laugh, standing in her spot. Jareth stood and approached her, trailing his gaze along her form, making a few failed attempts to speak.

"You look beautiful," He managed to finally say, standing a few feet from her.

Sarah wrung her hands in front of her, a small contented sigh escaping her lips. She took a deep breath, the air around her filled by his scent. In the past, it had been a comforting smell, letting her know that he was near, but right now it was driving her crazy, and knowing he was near was not what her hormones needed.

"Thank you," She replied softly, and cocked her head, viewing him through veiled lashes, trying not to let her sheepishness show too terribly, and completely failing miserably. "God, it's like high school all over again!" She hissed in her head then added mentally, "Just without the lack of puberty and acne," trying desperately to keep her cool and act like the adult she was. Not to mention she was dressed like a princess; if she was dressed like one, she was going to act like one, not a hormone driven teenager, even though she knew he would much prefer the later. She noted his appearance—his clothing wasn't much different than usual; Nondescript poets shirt, pendant, leggings, boots, leather belt sash. He was surprisingly without ruffles. Though even in lue of his simple and usual attire, it was a look that he always managed to make look drop dead gorgeous. She eyed him carefully, noticing the small nuances in his person. He looked much more rested than he did an hour ago, and she assumed the healers did something for that. His skin no longer looked dull and lifeless, but instead maintained it's subtle ethereal glow and healthy pallor. His eyes glimmered and swirled once more with combating fire and ice and his face was now clean shaven. Sarah suppressed a giggle as an image of Jareth with a sandy beard manifested in her mind. Needless to say, it was not a look he should ever consider sporting. She drew her attention away from his chiseled chin and to his mane of hair, which to due the earlier damage, had now been tamed in ways she had never thought possible.

The length on his hair still remained, as did the layers, yet they had all been cut drastically short. Instead of his hair fluffing out like a lions mane, it more or less spiked out naturally in sections, looking sleeker, while still maintaining a similar style. All of this annalysing had taken place over the course of a few seconds, and Sarah then of course, oh so eloquently opened her mouth and blurted out,

"Your ears are really pointy," instead of saying something much more pleasant. Yet, he laughed. He laughed a real laugh that coiled up from his throat, building with intensity and mirth, and the amusement danced in his eyes. It was the kind of laugh that made her toes curl, and she regretted her words even more. It was at that moment she realized she was completely and utterly in love with the Goblin King. "That's not what I meant to say," she said with a pout. Jareth turned a hip towards her and gave a cheeky grin, realizing that the poor girl was nervous. He decided to quite daringly take advantage of that, and tease her in her weak state. His demeanor shifted, turning darker and taunting as he began to prowl and circle her, clicking his tongue mockingly.

"Now now, is the great Sarah Williams flustered?"

Sarah straightened her shoulders and squared her head, looking him directly in the eyes, and said back with equal mockery, "play nice Goblin king."

"Of course," He said, lifting his hand to brush away a stray hair that had obscured her face. His fingers brushed across her cheek lightly, ungloved, and as the feeling of flesh upon flesh registered in Sarah's already flustered head her own hand flew up to snatch his, holding it tightly.

"No gloves?" Sarah pulled his hand from her cheek, fanning his fingers out in front of her, palm to palm with her own. "Your hands are so soft," she mumbled, lacing her own fingers through his.

Jareth licked his lips, realizing his mouth had gone dry. He watched her with fascination, her sudden whimsicalness and flustered behavior leaving him breathless, because he knew it was because of him. He couldn't believe it.

"I must've forgotten them," His own response was mumbled, and he could feel the burning heat rise to his face. He couldn't believe the crazy emotions the woman before him brought out in him. He closed his fingers around hers, and brought her finger tips to his lips once more. "I hope you don't mind." She shook her head 'no' softly, as if she were in a trance. They stayed like this for a moment, their hands linked together, time slowed between them, then Jareth spoke up, breaking the dream like state that had befallen them.

"Are you hungry?"

And so they officially began their date. They walked in the gardens, finding a secluded grassy area in the maze of the gardens where they set up their picnic. They were comfortable with each other, as if they had done this hundreds of times before, and in a way it was just another day in the life for the odd couple. Once they were seated on the blanket, time passed quickly, and for hours they sat talking, about anything they could think of or wanted to talk about. Over the course of the night they had gotten quite comfortable, possibly with a little aid from the friendly wine bottle, and were currently lying on the blanket, Sarah's head resting on his chest while he inquired about her childhood aspirations.

"You wanted to be a fairy princess?"

"Yep!" Sarah laughed at the ridiculousness, "Until I was about 10, then I realized I had to be a fairy to be a fairy princess. At that point I tried to grow fairy wings. Needless to say that didn't go very well." Her words were littered with giggles, and she popped a grape into her mouth once finished her anecdote.

"Funny. I thought you would've wanted to be a movie star or actress. Not a fairy princess. Even funnier that you're closer than you thought you'd get." Jareth teased her, pulling her further into his arms. Sarah gave a content sigh, a laugh bubbling past her lips at the truth of his words.

"Acting sort of replaced it in a way. It's a different sort of fantasy, the kind that most people find tangible." She gave a small flourish of her hands in the air for effect.

"What do you mean by 'most people find tangible'?"

"Well, I obviously believed before I had proof, and now I can't really call this fantasy any more… just alternate reality." He seemed to accept the answer and fell silent for a moment, content to just hold her in his arms. Of course, it didn't stay that way.

"Which reality do you like more?"

"This one—The Underground," Sarah said, without pause, much to his delight and surprise. He gave her a quick squeeze subconsciously, and made a mental note that she was seemingly unhappy with her currently life above, and would have to find out more about it later. For now, he would relax and hold the woman of his dreams in his arms and pray that his feelings were requited. "Okay, my turn to ask a question. What's your...favorite fruit?"

"Apples. I love the crisp sound of biting into a fresh apple." He smiled lazily, musing to himself about how frequently he smiled when she was around.

"Really? I thought they would've been—"

"Peaches? No, not peaches." Sarah's mouth formed a small 'o', and she shifted her position, sitting upright, much to his protest. He pouted childishly, his feathered locks splayed out on the blanked like a fan behind his head as he looked up at her with an accusing glare. Sarah laughed, and stuck out her tongue at the childish king, pouring herself some more wine into her goblet. She turned away momentarily to cap the bottle, and upon turning back, found Jareth laying on his side, his head propped on his elbow in a 'come hither' fashion—and she didn't think it was by accident. "So Precious, what's your favorite fruit?" A smirk crossed his regal features, resembling something between smoldering seductive stare and mocking grin. Sarah was very thankful for the wine she had poured, having taken a big gulp, and had not gone unnoticed by his royal-glittery-tight pants.

"Here we go again," She thought inwardly. "Now out comes the Jareth that can make fruit sound sexy just by talking."

"Something wrong Precious?" Sarah chewed on her lower lip, drawing in a shaky breath and revealed the fated fruit.

"…Peaches," The word was said with a laugh and through mumbles, yet he heard it loud and clear, as evident by the surprised raising of his arched eyebrows.

"Would you like one?" If anything, it was a challenge. He made a simple flick of the wrist and a peach appeared in his bare hand. He held it out to her, daring her to take it from him. Sarah stared at the peach intently, almost mesmerized by it's fleshy tones and fuzzy skin. "I promise its safe. Look." Sarah followed it with her transfixed gaze as he raised it to his lips, taking a bite out of the ripe fruit, a small trail of juice making its way down his chin.

"There he goes again with the sex god crap," She thought, resisting the urge to lick her lips, let a lone launch herself at him. "Control your self Sarah, act like a princess would. A princes!" As her train of thought finished, another one formed, accompanied by a slow seductive smirk to match his. It went something like this, "And by now, the princess would've jumped him already. Just do it!"

And so she ignored the peach in his hand, and went straight for his peach flavored lips. Jareth didn't complain. Instead he leaned her backwards, one hand tangling its self into her soft locks as he deepened the kiss. Sarah whimpered, dragging her fingers a long his back, eliciting a predatory growl from him. He nipped at her lip playfully, deepening the kiss once more. He broke the peach flavored kiss, pulling his head away from her to see her flustered face; her hair a mess, her cheeks flushed, lips bruised, and eyes dark and stormy.

"I love you," He blurted out with about as much grace as a 1950's lawnmower.

"Excuse me?" She sputtered, still pinned bellow him. He laughed shakily, helping her sit up right. He caressed her cheek gently and placed his forehead against hers, and this time with much more confidence said,

"I love you."

"Really?"

"Yes really! You silly girl!" Sarah nearly squealed, and crashed her lips upon his once more, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Does this mean the feeling is mutual, Precious?" He teased. She laughed and nodded.

"Do you want to know a secret?" she whispered, her forehead against his once more, while her emerald eyes glittered mischievously.

"Sure."

"In high school, every time a guy asked me out, you were my basis for comparison."

* * *

I did Say I would quash the plot bug. –nods vigorously-

I have to say, David Bowie with a goatee is freaking HOT. XD

A beard though… I just can't see it… D:


End file.
